Famous Roads: the namesake for Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard

In this week’s edition of our “Famous Roads” series, we look at the namesake for Dr. Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard, the 2,000-foot roadway stretching from Governor’s Drive to Williams Avenue at Big Spring Park.

This Huntsville native played a vital role in the Civil Rights Movement, not just in Alabama, and was a champion for social justice throughout his adult life.

‘Dean of the Civil Rights Movement’ among our famous roads

9ac3a694 cd71 4d6c a4a0 8d2cc5232cfd — Dr. Lowery played a crucial role in the Civil Rights Era. (“Joseph Lowery 2000” by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Lowery was born in Huntsville in 1921 and attended the nearby William Hooper Councill High School. He attended Alabama A&M University (which was, at the time, Alabama A&M College), but graduated from Paine College in Georgia.

He then moved to Chicago, where he earned a Doctor of Divinity degree from the Chicago Ecumenical Institute. He also met his wife, Evelyn Gibson while living there.

According to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, when Lowery returned to Alabama, he became the pastor at Warren Street Methodist Church in Mobile.

While in Mobile, he became active in the Civil Rights Movement, advocating for desegregation of public places, buses and schools in Alabama.

Among numerous contributions, as a civil rights advocate and activist Lowery:

Co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King, and served as its president from 1977-1997.
Led a march from Tuskegee to Montgomery to extend the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Participated in the Selma to Montgomery march of 1965
Helped lead the Montgomery bus boycott
Was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the NAACP
Delivered the closing prayer at President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, and was subsequently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama
Is honored at the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in Atlanta

Lowery died March 27, 2020 in Atlanta

Lowery honored with another road

f1baafbc fb68 47dc 8da1 75705a06eb41 — Lowery is also honored in Atlanta. (“Atlanta – MLK National Historic Site: International Civil Rights Walk of Fame” by wallyg is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

The City of Huntsville renamed Harvard Gateway in Lowery’s honor in 2018. But Huntsville is not the only city whose famous roads include a tribute to Lowery.

The City of Atlanta also has a Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard (formerly Ashby Street). The road runs from the Georgia Tech campus through the campuses of HBCUs Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College, Morehouse College and Morris Brown College.

Check back next week for a look at another edition of our Famous Roads series! In the meantime, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.