Community Corner
Wyatt Tee Walker, Harlem Pastor And Civil Rights Leader, Dies
Walker served as pastor of Harlem's Canaan Baptist Church and was an adviser of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
HARLEM, NY — Harlem pastor and civil rights leader Wyatt Tee Walker — sometimes referred to as the man behind Martin Luther King Jr. — died Tuesday at the age of 88, the the Rev. Al Sharpton first confirmed.
Walker served as the senior pastor and chief executive of the Canaan Baptist Church, located on West 116th Street between Lenox and Seventh avenues, for 37 years, according to the church's website. The church's website claims that Walker "is the chief reason Canaan remains a paradigm of what urban ministry can be."
In addition to earning acclaim as a renowned Harlem preacher, Walker was extremely influential in the United States' civil rights movement. Walker served as Martin Luther King Jr.'s chief of staff and senior adviser and was the first board chairman of the National Action Network — a civil rights organization founded by Sharpton.
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Sharpon described Walker as "a true giant and irreplaceable leader. A huge tree has fallen."
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Saddened to confirm that Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker, MLK's Executive Director and NAN’s first Board Chairman, has passed. A true giant and irreplaceable leader. A huge tree has fallen. pic.twitter.com/b3J1519cpR
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) January 23, 2018
Through Walker's work at the Canaan Baptist Church, he also championed affordable housing development in the neighborhood, the church's website said.
"Walker was the largest single developer of affordable housing in New York City and has been a key player in the physical renaissance of Harlem that proceeds apace," the website reads.
As leader of the Canaan Baptist Church, Walker sponsored the creation of seven affordable housing properties, including three devoted for senior citizens. He also served as the Chairman of the Consortium for Central Harlem Development, which invested $100 million into housing, the church's website reads.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement htat he was "saddened" by Walker's passing.
"He was a fighter for freedom who dedicated his life to bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice," de Blasio said in a statement. "Harlem won't soon forget his work winning more affordable housing for his community."
Photo of Wyatt Tee Walker (Right) by Susan Walsh/Associated Press
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