(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Civil rights activist and western Illinois native Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian died Friday morning in Atlanta at the age of 95.
His career as an activist began in Peoria, where he participated in his first sit-in demonstrations, which successfully integrated Barton's Cafeteria in 1947.
Vivian was the director of the Urban Theological Institute at Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological Center, a consortium of African-American seminaries, and was board chair of Capitol City Bank, a minority-owned bank with branches in eight locations in Georgia.
"I never would have been who I was if not for Macomb, Illinois," he said during a presentation at Western Illinois University in September 2010. "We'd lost everything in the Great Depression, and they wanted to protect the one thing they still had [their child>. They wanted to leave Missouri because of segregation, so we came to Macomb because I could start first grade here and go all the way through college."
"There must always be the understanding of what Martin had in mind for this organization," Vivian said in a 2012 interview. "Nonviolent, direct action makes us successful. We learned how to solve social problems without violence. We cannot allow the nation or the world to ever forget that."
"It was a great honor and privilege to have had this renowned champion of Civil Rights and social justice as a member of our WIU and Macomb communities," said WIU Interim President Martin Abraham. "His legacy will continue, and we will honor and memorialize the Rev. Dr. Vivian through our work to ensure social justice on our campuses and in our communities."
In 2008, he created the C.T. Vivian Leadership Institute, which allowed him to foster innovative leadership and career development for at-risk youth and college graduates and be a voice of hope for at-risk communities.
During his long career in the civil rights movement, Vivian served with Dr. Martin Luther King in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. He joined King's executive staff and served as the national director of affiliates for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. During his time in Chicago, he organized and directed the Coalition for United Community Action. The group of 61 organizations became Chicago's Black Front.
His career as an activist began in Peoria, where he participated in his first sit-in demonstrations, which successfully integrated Barton's Cafeteria in 1947.
During his long career in the civil rights movement, Vivian served with Dr. Martin Luther King in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. He joined King's executive staff and served as the national director of affiliates for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. During his time in Chicago, he organized and directed the Coalition for United Community Action. The group of 61 organizations became Chicago's Black Front.
"There must always be the understanding of what Martin had in mind for this organization," Vivian said in a 2012 interview. "Nonviolent, direct action makes us successful. We learned how to solve social problems without violence. We cannot allow the nation or the world to ever forget that."
He was the first one of King's staff to write a book on the Civil Rights Movement called "Black Power and the American Myth." In 2013, he was among 16 individuals recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
"I never would have been who I was if not for Macomb, Illinois," he said during a presentation at Western Illinois University in September 2010. "We'd lost everything in the Great Depression, and they wanted to protect the one thing they still had [their child>. They wanted to leave Missouri because of segregation, so we came to Macomb because I could start first grade here and go all the way through college."
Vivian was the director of the Urban Theological Institute at Atlanta's Interdenominational Theological Center, a consortium of African-American seminaries, and was board chair of Capitol City Bank, a minority-owned bank with branches in eight locations in Georgia.
In 2008, he created the C.T. Vivian Leadership Institute, which allowed him to foster innovative leadership and career development for at-risk youth and college graduates and be a voice of hope for at-risk communities.
"It was a great honor and privilege to have had this renowned champion of Civil Rights and social justice as a member of our WIU and Macomb communities," said WIU Interim President Martin Abraham. "His legacy will continue, and we will honor and memorialize the Rev. Dr. Vivian through our work to ensure social justice on our campuses and in our communities."
RELATED: Civil Rights Icon John Lewis Dead At 80
Vivian died the same day Georgia Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis, who was receiving hospice care at home pancreatic cancer.
The civil rights icon said last month that he cried when he watched the video of George Floyd's death.
"I kept saying to myself: How many more? How many young black men will be murdered? It made me so sad. It was so painful," he told "CBS This Morning." "It made me cry."
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