81R4737 CBE-D
By: McClendon H.R. No. 905
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The people of San Antonio lost a dedicated champion
of civil rights and an inspiring religious and community leader
with the death of the Reverend Claude William Black, Jr., on March
13, 2009, at the age of 92; and
WHEREAS, Born in San Antonio on November 28, 1916, Claude
Black, Jr., was the oldest child of Cora and Claude Black, Sr.; he
graduated from Morehouse College and subsequently earned a master
of divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School; exposed
to political organizing through his father, who served as vice
president of the local Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, he
became active in the community in the early 1940s; he founded the
San Antonio Mother's Service Organization to encourage positive
youth development, and it became the first African American group
of Christian women to get a state charter for a local club; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Black continued his activism as the civil
rights movement got underway, leading and organizing marches around
the state; in March 1960, he urged city officials to integrate local
lunch counters, and San Antonio became the first major city in the
South to break this barrier without demonstrations; he was an
associate of Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, A. Philip
Randolph, and Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and he was invited by
President Lyndon B. Johnson to attend the White House Conference on
Civil Rights in 1966; and
WHEREAS, Even as many of the movement's goals were realized,
this esteemed Texan remained a vital advocate for San Antonio's
African American population; he was elected to the city council in
the early 1970s and went on to become the city's first African
American mayor pro tem; a decade later, he founded a corporation to
help east side residents obtain suitable housing, and in 1995, he
was appointed a delegate to the White House Council on Aging by
President Bill Clinton; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Black further distinguished himself as the
pastor of San Antonio's historic Mount Zion First Baptist Church
and, under his guidance, the church became known for its numerous
public outreach efforts; his legacy includes the development of two
neighborhood day care centers, an apartment complex for seniors,
and the city's only financial institution owned by an African
American church; moreover, when the Mount Zion sanctuary was
destroyed by arson in 1974, Reverend Black led members through the
rebuilding process, and a new sanctuary was completed the next
year; by the time of his retirement in 1998, he had served the
church for nearly half a century; and
WHEREAS, In all of his endeavors, Reverend Black enjoyed the
love and support of his beloved wife, ZerNona, with whom he shared
59 years before her death in 2005; the couple raised two children,
Stewart and Joyce, and welcomed six grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren into their family; and
WHEREAS, Reverend Black was recognized for his commitment to
civil rights with the 1991 MLK Distinguished Achievement Award from
the City of San Antonio, and the city also named an east side
community center in his honor; before his death, he was notified of
his selection for the prestigious Testament of Hope Award, given in
tribute to an outstanding community leader; his grandson, Taj
Matthews, and other family members, accepted the award on his
behalf at the second annual Realizing the Dream Award Celebration,
hosted by Martin Luther King III; and
WHEREAS, With his lifelong devotion to justice and equality,
Claude Black made a profound difference in the city of San Antonio
and beyond, and he leaves behind a record of achievement that will
continue to resonate for many years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 81st Texas
Legislature hereby honor the memory of the Reverend Claude William
Black, Jr., and extend sincere sympathy to his family: to his
grandchildren, Taj Matthews, Chantey Matthews, and Claude
Williams, and their families; to his sister, Mary Etta Black Deas;
and to his many admirers across the Lone Star State; and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Reverend
Black.