Boyd-Grant Awards Dinner will raise money for ACRI

ALBANY — Not long after W. Frank Wilson took the reins as executive director of the Albany Civil Rights Institute, he decided the attraction needed a signature fundraiser.

In considering the details, Wilson wanted to honor the work and dedication of a person or persons who had an impact during the community-changing Albany Civil Rights Movement. With little difficulty, he chose two names: the longtime pastors from Shiloh Baptist Church and Mount Zion Baptist Church, H.C. Boyd and E. James Grant, respectively .

The Rev. E. James Grant was born in 1899, 65 years before the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Raised during an era of American history that denied his race many basic civil rights, Grant graduated from high school, college and seminary, in addition to learning the shoemaker trade.

The year was 1944 when Grant took to the pulpit of Mount Zion Baptist Church on Whitney Avenue in Albany. When the church moved to a new (and much larger) facility on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in 1972, the congregation took its pastor along, where he remained as the shepherd of his flock until retiring in 1991. Afterwards, Grant was pastor emeritus until his death at age 95 in the fall of 1994.

At that time Boyd, Grant’s across-the-street pastor during the Civil Rights Movement and beyond, described his comrade as practicing “leadership in its own right, in religion, in government and as an educator.”

Grant’s church became a haven, although not always a safe one, for Albany Civil Rights Movement participants. The doors to the church were opened for meetings, strategy planning and most of all, prayer. Members of the congregation or not, all were welcomed to the house of worship.

Already recognized as a community leader and outstanding citizen, Grant’s willingness to risk whatever might happen to assure that his community gained the rights due them is the reason Wilson chose him as a fundraiser honoree.

“Rev. Grant (and Rev. Boyd) stood tall when standing tall was not an easy thing to do in Albany,” the CRI director said.

The Rev. H.C. Boyd also opened the doors of Shiloh Baptist Church to mass meetings that were a vital part of the movement, regardless of threats to himself and his family. Fear for his church, its building and members was real, as numerous bombings occurred at houses of worship across the South.

Boyd never faltered, however, in his belief of God’s protection and the work of gaining civil rights. Numerous marches started at the front door of Shiloh Baptist.

Today, Boyd still brings the message to the members of Shiloh and, in fact, last month celebrated 57 years as the church’s pastor. He remembers the Civil Rights Movement clearly, including one bomb threat, fortunately a hoax, that he preached right through in the fall of 1963.

Wilson involved numerous community leaders in the formation of the Boyd-Grant Committee and, on Friday at 7 p.m., the third annual dinner honoring the pair will be held at the Albany Civic Center. In addition to honoring the leadership of Boyd and Grant, two awards are also to be announced at the banquet, one for a business and one for an individual. The award recipients are chosen by the committee, which includes such well-respected Albanians as Greg Fullerton, Shirley Brown, Dave Davies, Alice Goseer-Jenkins and Dr. Timothy Knowles.

Wilson said that the awards will “recognize a business and an individual for their work in bringing Albany together.”

Having sold-out at the Hilton Garden Inn last year, the 2016 event will be held at the Civic Center, which has seating for 750. Around 75-100 tickets remain and are available for $50 each. In its initial year, the event raised $13,800 raised. In 2015, that amount rose to nearly $20,000.

With a much larger venue, Wilson says a goal of $35,000 has been set this year. All proceeds will flow back into the ACRI for programs and operational costs.

Guest speaker for the event will be the Rev. Carolynne Grant Williams, Grant’s daughter. She is currently serving as Canon for Pastoral Care and Elder Ministry for the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta. Williams was ordained as a deacon in the oldest African-American parish in Georgia and ordained as priest in 2000. She was the first African-American female to go through the ordination process in the Diocese of Atlanta in its 100-year history. Prior to her ordination, Williams worked for Delta Airlines. She retired with 31 years of service.

For more information about the ACRI, the Boyd-Grant Award Dinner and or to purchase tickets, call (229) 432-1698.