 James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation
The Rev. James Reeb  Rev. James Reeb
On March 9, 1965, Reeb and two other UU ministers, Rev. Orloff Miller and Rev. Clark Olsen, were walking back after dinner to a meeting led by Dr. King when they were attacked by a group of white men. One hit Rev. Reeb in the head with a club. The blow was fatal; Rev. Reeb died March 11, 1965. Though Jimmy Lee Jackson, an African-American hospital worker, had been killed in the civil rights struggle in Selma two weeks earlier, Rev. Reeb's murder drew national attention, and is credited with helping to hasten passage of the federal Voting Rights Act. The founders of our congregation decided to name it after Rev. Reeb as a sign of our commitment to social justice and the inherent worth and dignity of every person. For more information on the Rev. James Reeb: "A Witness to the Truth" (Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Eulogy for James Reeb) (PDF file) "A View from the Balcony" (Recollections of a witness of Rev. King's eulogy) "A Pilgrimage to Selma" (A sermon based on a trip to Selma) "Unitarian Universalist Leaders Meet with Clinton on Anniversary of Fatal Attack on UU Minister" "James Reeb Dies in Alabama: March 11, 1965," Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities "The March of Time: From Selma to the Voting Rights Act of 1965"
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