Rev. William “Bill” Lawson, a longtime preacher and civil rights leader who helped desegregate Houston, Texas, and worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, died
HOUSTON– The Rev. William “Bill” Lawson, a longtime preacher and civil rights leader who helped desegregate Houston and worked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement, died. He was 95.
Lawson’s old church, Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in that Texas city, announced on its website that he had died Tuesday.
“He has completed his term of service here on earth and is now enjoying eternal rest,” the church said in its announcement.
Lawson founded Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church in 1962 and served as pastor for 42 years before retiring in 2004. He was known as “Houston’s Pastor” and remained active in his church and community after his retirement.
He worked with King during the civil rights movement by setting up the local office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the civil rights organization led by King.
During a 2021 interview with his daughter Melanie Lawson, an anchor at KTRK in Houston, William Lawson recalled how he offered to host King at his church when others wouldn’t after the FBI wrongly accused King of being a communist to be.
“I told his staff that I don’t have a big church. But he is welcome to come to my church and he came to Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church and preached there,” Lawson said.
Both men remained close friends until King’s assassination in 1968.
Community leaders in Houston praised Lawson and his legacy Tuesday.
“He is one of the reasons our city is so great. He helped us during the civil rights and social justice era,” said Mayor John Whitmire. “Houston benefited from his leadership and his character.”
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said that while Houston is mourning its loss, “we are celebrating a legacy that will guide us for generations to come.”
Memorial services celebrating Lawson’s life were scheduled to be held May 23 and 24 at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church.
