Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, prominent pastor and civil rights leader, dies at 73

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Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, one of New York City’s most prominent religious and civil rights leaders, has died.

Death details for Rev. Calvin Butts

His church, Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church, announced his death Friday, saying he passed away peacefully after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was a prominent pastor and civil rights leader

Butts led Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church as senior pastor for more than 30 years and spent 50 years in the ministry.

His mission was just not a religious one, he was also a champion for social and racial justice and was a guiding light in his Harlem community.

Former mayor Mike Bloomberg tweeted that Butts “took the idea of building the Kingdom of God literally.”

Butts loved people and would do anything to advocate for them.

“Schools in this community, affordable housing, so you name the issue, Dr. Butts has been on it and/or a leader of it,” former Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields said.

“So many people would stop me now in the streets and ask me how was Pastor Butts. He was the person that everyone thought that he was their personal pastor,” said former Rep. Charles Rangel.

Calvin Otis Butts III was born in Bridgeport, CT in July 19, 1949. He graduated from Flushing High School before obtaining a degree from Morehouse. He joined the Abyssinian Baptist Church in 1972 as a youth minister, rising to pastor and later to trusted counsel to politicians.

He was also President Emeritus of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury and served in the Fordham University Graduate School of Education as a Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy Division.

Community advocacy

Butts was dedicated to community service, from helping the less fortunate to developing affordable housing in Harlem, and promoting healthcare in the community.

He was on the forefront of the battle against aids epidemic of the 1980s and most recently, the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

In a recent interview on Good Morning America, he reverberated the words that have kept many in this Black community gowing through trials and tribulations.

“Keep the faith and don’t give up because there is a brighter day ahead,” Butts said.

Butts leaves behind three children and six grandchildren. He was 73 years old.