Eugene Callender Explained

Birth Name:Eugene St. Clair Callender
Birth Date:January 21, 1926
Birth Place:Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Death Place:Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Education:Cambridge Rindge and Latin School
Boston University; Westminster Theological Seminary; New York Law School
Occupation:Pastor and activist

Eugene S. Callender (January 21, 1926 – November 2, 2013[1]) was an American pastor and activist in the civil rights movement.

Biography

Eugene St. Clair Callender was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to parents who were immigrants from Barbados.[2] He studied at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Boston University, before becoming the first African American to study at Westminster Theological Seminary.[3] He later studied at New York Law School.

For most of his life, Callender lived and worked in Harlem. He was the first black ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA).[4] A past executive director of the New York Urban League and a former president of the New York Urban Coalition, he also served as deputy administrator of the New York City Housing and Development Administration.

In 1970, Callender hosted (with Joan Harris, at its launch) the hour-long WNBC‐TV (Channel 4) series Positively Black, which aired weekly,[5] featuring Black artists, writers, actors, musicians, sports figures and activists, as well as news about life and culture in the community.[6]

Notes and References

  1. News: Eugene Callender, Harlem civil rights activist, to be remembered. 7 December 2013. Daily News. November 8, 2013.
  2. News: Fox. Margalit. Margalit Fox. Rev. Eugene Callender, Who Saw Potential of School Dropouts, Dies at 87. 7 December 2013. The New York Times. 7 November 2013.
  3. Web site: Rev. Callender with the Lord. Westminster Theological Seminary. 7 December 2013. December 10, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131210223355/http://www.wts.edu/stayinformed/view.html?id=1635. dead.
  4. Web site: Black Ministry in CRC Has a Far Reach . Christian Reformed Church. Shannon . Jammal-Hollemans. February 22, 2017.
  5. News: TV: 'Positively Black'. Jack. Gould. he New York Times. June 8, 1970.
  6. Web site: Rahsaan Roland Kirk In Session – In Interview – 1970 – Past Daily Downbeat. Past Daily. Gordon. Skene. July 16, 2017. April 23, 2023.