Harlem Mourns the Rev. Calvin Butts III - The New York Times
Congregants and neighbors remembered a pastor who they said was determined to fight racism and lift up the Black community.
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Congregants and neighbors remembered a pastor who they said was determined to fight racism and lift up the Black community.
Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, the senior pastor of one of New York City's biggest and most influential churches, died Friday at 73.
Though many claim the title “reverend,” few are genuinely revered by the flocks of parishioners they lead and the wider city they shape. Calvin O. Butts III, who died Friday after commanding the pulpit at Abyssinian Baptist Church for a generation, was among them.
He led Abyssinian Baptist Church and helped revitalize his community by building housing, some of which he reserved for existing residents.
Rev. Calvin Butts, 73, was an influential figure in Harlem, welcoming figures from Fidel Castro to Gov. Pataki to ex-President Clinton to his church over the years.