In Memoriam: Gilbert Caldwell, civil rights icon, passes away

The Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, a civil rights icon who was a part of the Selma “Bloody Sunday” march and the March on Washington, has died Friday, reports the Asbury Park Press.

Civil rights activist Gilbert Caldwell

Caldwell first met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1958 while he was a student at Boston University.

He actively participated:

• in the 1963 March on Washington
• the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer
• the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March
• the March in Boston protesting public school segregation
• 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.

Religion

Rev. Gilbert Caldwell was a founding member of the United Methodists of Color for a Fully Inclusive Church, and the Black Methodists for Church Renewal ministering around the country, including Boston, Brooklyn, and New Haven, Connecticut.

He was also a member of the Board of Preachers and Scholars at the Martin Luther King International Chapel, Morehouse College.

He was a supporter of LGBTQ+

Aside from Black civil rights, Caldwell was a stalwart supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.

He served on:

• the Board of Directors for Parents
• Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays National (PFLAG), an advocacy group.

“I considered Rev. Caldwell a real role model for how to do the work within faith communities, and within communities of color,” said Former PFLAG National Board President Jean Hodges in a release.

“As a Methodist–and the mom of a gay man–I was moved and inspired by all that he did to bring more allyship and engagement within the UMC. I will miss my dear friend, and PFLAGers everywhere have lost a real champion for inclusion.”

Caldwell authored two books and numerous book chapters, newspaper, and magazine articles.

Gilbert Caldwell in Asbury Park

Gilbert Caldwell at the Second Baptist Church in Asbury Park, N.J. A community forum on the violence in the community. (Photo: Unheard Voices Magazine)

In 2007, Caldwell moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey after retiring.

While not an Asbury native, he continued to push for civil rights in the city, including hoping to heal the divide between the east and west sides, and for the Black church and clergy to be more open to the LGBTQ+ community.