Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian
Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell R. Lucas released the following statement on the passing of Rev. Dr. Cordy Tindell (C.T.) Vivian.
I am deeply saddened by the passing of the distinguished minister, author and civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Cordy Tindell (C.T.) Vivian.
Dr. C.T. Vivian was one of history’s most ardent and passionate leaders of the nonviolent civil rights movement in the last half of the 20th century.
He organized protests and sit-ins all throughout the South against segregation and racial injustice.
He helped heal our nation with his teaching of nonviolent tenets of sacrifice, selflessness, and discipline to overcome the bitterness and hatred of segregationists in the South.
His steadfastness to overcoming racial hatred in our country with love earned him so much respect and trust that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would call him “the greatest preacher to ever live.”
Dr. Vivian stood in the crucible of some of the seminal events of the civil rights movement including the Freedom Rides, “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” and the marches from Selma to Montgomery, which led to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
I was fortunate in my career at Major League Baseball to meet both leaders of the civil rights movement whose passing we mourn today, Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian and Congressman John Lewis.
These two men fulfilled one of life’s basic requirements: know thyself to better know the hearts of all humanity. I pray the angels will carry Dr. Vivian safely to his heavenly home and be a fence of comfort to his family, friends, and all who loved him.”