Eugene Callender

Eugene S. Callender (January 21, 1926 – November 2, 2013^[1]) was an American pastor and activist in the civil rights movement.

Eugene Callender
Born	Eugene St. Clair Callender January 21, 1926 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 2, 2013(2013-11-02) (aged 87) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Education	Cambridge Rindge and Latin School; Boston University; Westminster Theological Seminary; New York Law School
Occupation(s)	Pastor and activist

Biography

Eugene St. Clair Callender was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to parents who were immigrants from Barbados.^[2] He studied at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Boston University, before becoming the first African American to study at Westminster Theological Seminary.^[3] He later studied at New York Law School.^[2]

For most of his life, Callender lived and worked in Harlem. He was the first black ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA).^[4] A past executive director of the New York Urban League and a former president of the New York Urban Coalition, he also served as deputy administrator of the New York City Housing and Development Administration.^[2]

In 1970, Callender hosted (with Joan Harris, at its launch) the hour-long WNBC‐TV (Channel 4) series Positively Black, which aired weekly,^[5] featuring Black artists, writers, actors, musicians, sports figures and activists, as well as news about life and culture in the community.^[6]