Denver civil rights leader James Peters, friend of Martin Luther King Jr., dies at 92
A Denver pastor who helped Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was a prominent figure in the Civil Rights movement passed away this week.
DENVER,CO--DECEMBER 17TH 2006- Left: the Rev. Richard Battles, Martin Luther King Jr., Gayle Stockham (in glasses) and James D. Peters, in a 1964 photo. THE DENVER POST/ ANDY CROSS (Photo By Andy Cross/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Andy Cross
Peters was born on Jan. 16, 1933, and began preaching at the age of 19. He said his mother, Edna J. Belton, instilled a love of poetry and speechmaking in him. He was one of the founding members of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the 1950s and 1960s and a friend of King's.
At the age of 30, Peters helped organize three train cars to travel from Bridgeport to Washington, D.C. for the March on Washington. It's there that King delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream Speech."
UNITED STATES - CIRCA 1963: Crowds of people on The Mall, starting at the Lincoln Memorial, going around the Reflecting Pool, and continuing to the Washington Monument
/ Getty Images
On the 60th anniversary of the march, he shared his memories of the event with CBS Colorado.
"We were up by the Lincoln Memorial, thousands and thousands, you've never seen so many people," Peters said. "A lot of people had to bring their children because they said, 'This is history,' it was. A lot of tears were shed. Mine and the others because we had fought for this for so long."
Before moving to Colorado, Peters served as a pastor at a church in Bridgeport, Connecticut. There, King presented him with a plaque in front of his congregation.
Peters went on to chair the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and served as the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church for 28 years before his retirement in 2007.
OCT 11 1987, JUN 30 1989, JUL 2 1989, JUL 24 1989, OCT 19 1990, JUN 23 1991 Rev James Peters new chairman of the State Civil rights Commission. Credit: The Denver Post (Denver Post via Getty Images)
Denver Post
In an Instagram post, Peters's son Jasper announced his father passed away on May 10 "surrounded by love and prayer, in the presence of his family." Peters was 92 years old.
Former state senator Rhonda Fields shared a tribute to Peters on X, stating, "I'm deeply saddened by the passing of Rev. Dr. James D. Peters, Jr., a pillar of faith and wisdom at New Hope Baptist Church & beyond. His legacy leaves a lasting impression on the hearts of many. Rest in eternal peace, Dr. Peters."
Friends and family will gather for a funeral service at New Hope Baptist Church this weekend to celebrate his life.
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