Ralph Lord Roy

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Ralph Lord Roy (1929 – 2020) was a Methodist pastor and author, as well as a Freedom Rider and activist in the Civil rights movement.[1]

Background[]

Ralph Lord Roy was born on September 30, 1928 in St. Albans, Vermont.[2] He was the son of Howard Allen and Olive Lydia (Corliss) Roy. He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1950,[2] then received his Master of Arts from Union Theological Seminary in 1952.[citation needed]

After his ordination, he served several churches in New York City and Connecticut.[3]

Roy's first book, Apostles of Discord, began as his doctoral thesis. It discussed some of the racist elements hiding within American Protestantism and was the first published history of the emerging Christian Identity movement.[4][5]: 22 

Civil rights movement[]

Roy was part of the Interfaith Freedom Ride from Washington, D.C. to Tallahassee, Florida June 13–16, 1961,[6] an act that resulted in jail time.[3]

After meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. in the summer of 1962, Roy and Israel Dresner organized a "prayer pilgrimage" on August 28, 1962 in Albany, Georgia.[6][7] The pilgrimage resulted in the largest jailing of clergy in American history.[3]

Writer and author[]

Ralph Lord Roy was a writer and an author.

For 20 years, he was a columnist covering social, political, and religious topics for the Record Journal in Meriden, Connecticut.[1]

Books[]

  • Apostles of Discord (1953)
  • Communism and the Churches (1960)

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Buchanan, Jesse (February 6, 2020). "Ralph Lord Roy, Freedom Rider and local reverend, dies at 91". Meriden Record-Journal. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Tranquill, Betsy (2005). "Still Preaching Tolerance" (PDF). Swarthmore College Bulletin (published September 2005). p. 54. ISSN 0888-2126. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c Roy, Ralph Lord (June 8, 2008). "Local Clergyman Scheduled to Offer S. Senate Invocation". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  4. ^ James, Rorty (November 1953). "Apostles of Discord Review". Commentary. New York: Commentary Inc. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  5. ^ Barkun, Michael (2014). Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-1-4696-1111-2. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Roy, Ralph Lord". Civil Rights Digital Library.
  7. ^ Roy, Ralph Lord (January 15, 2009). "In Summer of '62, Living King's Challenge". New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
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