Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Rev. Richard C. Boone

(1937-2013)

Photographed By Mark Hilton

1. Rev. Richard C. Boone Marker (front)

Inscription.

Rev. Richard C. Boone. , Front , Born on July 7, 1937, in Calhoun, Alabama, Richard C. Boone devoted his life to the causes of civil and human rights. He joined the Air Force at the age of sixteen and following his service received a degree in political science and history from Alabama State University (ASU) and a master's degree from Phillips Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.

In the early 1960s, Boone joined Rev. Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was designated as a field secretary for Montgomery and the surrounding region. In Selma, he worked alongside King and movement strategists Amelia Boynton Robinson, Diane Nash, and Revs. James Bevel, James Orange, and Ralph David Abernathy, advocating for the right to vote. In the spring of 1965, the SCLC tasked Boone with coordinating student support at ASU for the Selma to Montgomery march. On the morning of March 24, 1965, as 25,000 marchers crossed into Montgomery County. Rev. Boone and 800 students joined them for the final day's journey. They arrived at the steps of the Alabama State Capitol the following day, culminating a series of demonstrations begun on March 7, “Bloody Sunday,” when some 600 peaceful protesters were beaten back by lawmen as they tried to cross Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge. ,

(Continued on other side).

Rear ,

(Continued from other side). , Boone's work with the SCLC also took him to New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. When the SCLC decided to shift its focus away from Montgomery in the late 1960s, Rev. Boone, with the help of Roosevelt Barnett, Jimmy Boone, Marjorie D. Johnson, and Henry Gosha, organized the Alabama Action Committee (AAC). Through AAC, Boone championed the economic rights of African Americans in the region as part of the War on Poverty. Rev. Boone, along with Roosevelt Barnett and Idessa Williams, led the initiative to establish a food stamp program. The Board of Revenue approved the project after Boone's first presentation of the plan on August 27, 1967. The Montgomery County Commission approved the program on October 6, 1967.

In 1979, Boone returned to active military service, working as a chaplain with the rank of Major. Rev. Boone and his wife returned to Montgomery where he continued his life's work as an advocate for civil and human rights until he died on October 10, 2013. In 2015, during the fiftieth anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march, the State of Alabama renamed in his honor a portion of West Fairview Blvd., where Boone and the ASU students joined in the march. In 2017, the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County, and the State of Alabama celebrated July 7 as Rev. Richard C. Boone Day. . This historical marker was erected in 2019 by Alabama Historical Association. It is in Montgomery in Montgomery County Alabama

Front
Born on July 7, 1937, in Calhoun, Alabama, Richard C. Boone devoted his life to the causes of civil and human rights. He joined the Air Force at the age of sixteen and following his service received a degree in political science and history from Alabama State University (ASU) and a master's degree from Phillips Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

of demonstrations begun on March 7, “Bloody Sunday,” when some 600 peaceful protesters were beaten back by lawmen as they tried to cross Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge.
(Continued on other side)

Rear

(Continued from other side)
Boone's work with the SCLC also took him to New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. When the SCLC decided to shift its focus away from Montgomery in the late 1960s, Rev. Boone, with the help of Roosevelt Barnett, Jimmy Boone, Marjorie D. Johnson, and Henry Gosha, organized the Alabama Action Committee (AAC). Through AAC, Boone championed the economic rights of African Americans in the region as part of the War on Poverty. Rev. Boone, along with Roosevelt Barnett and Idessa Williams, led the initiative to establish a food stamp program. The Board of Revenue approved the project after Boone's first presentation of the plan on August 27, 1967. The Montgomery County Commission approved the program on October 6, 1967.

Photographed By Mark Hilton

2. Rev. Richard C. Boone Marker (rear)

in his honor a portion of West Fairview Blvd., where Boone and the ASU students joined in the march. In 2017, the City of Montgomery, Montgomery County, and the State of Alabama celebrated July 7 as Rev. Richard C. Boone Day.

Erected 2019 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is July 7, 1937.

Location. 32° 20.217′ N, 86° 20.488′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker is on Mobile Highway north of Young Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Mobile Highway, Montgomery AL 36108, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Smiths: A Civil Rights Family (approx. 0.2 miles away); City of St. Jude/The Selma to Montgomery March (approx. 1.3 miles away); A Refuge (approx. 1.4 miles away); Heroes' Welcome (approx. 1.4 miles away); Campsite 4 (approx. 1.4 miles away); Marching to Montgomery (approx. 1.4 miles away); Beulah Baptist Church (approx. 1½ miles away); Historic Sites Near Fairview Environmental Park (approx. 1.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

More about this marker. Marker erected as part of the Alabama Bicentennial Celebration (1819-2019).

Also see . . . Marker unveiling on Saturday July 6, 2019. from the Montgomery Advertiser (Submitted on August 21, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Looking north on Mobile Highway towards marker on left. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton

3. Looking north on Mobile Highway towards marker on left.

View south from marker on Mobile Highway. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton

4. View south from marker on Mobile Highway.

Reverend Richard C. Boone image. Click for full size.

Alabama Department of Archives & History

5. Reverend Richard C. Boone

Credits. This page was last revised on August 22, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 682 times since then and 230 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 21, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.