John Cross Jr
Encyclopedia
John H. Cross Jr. was an American
pastor and Civil Rights
activist. He was best known as the pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church
, an African American
Baptist
congregation in Birmingham, Alabama
, at the time of church's racially motivated bombing
in 1963. The bombing, which ripped through the church and killed four young girls, became a rallying cry for the Civil Rights Movement
and propelled the problems of racial segregation
in The South
into the national spotlight. Cross spent much of the rest of his life working for racial reconciliation in the South.
. His parents were Margie Ann and John H. Cross Sr. He became interested in the ministry very early in life when he gave his first trial sermon
as a teenager. Cross joined the U.S. Army in 1944 as an assistant regimental chaplain
soon after graduating from high school.
Cross left the army following World War II
. Cross enrolled at Virginia Union University
, a historically African American university
in Richmond, Virginia
, where he received his bachelor's degree
in 1950. He later also received a master's degree
in divinity
from Virginia Union University in 1959.
Cross met his wife, Julia Ball, who was also a student at Virginia Union University. The couple married on September 3, 1949. Julia Cross died in 2003.
in 1962. He was serving as a pastor of a Baptist church in Richmond, Virginia at the time. Cross was asked to serve at the church because he seemed to be a good match for its congregation, who largely consisted of conservative, well educated African Americans. Cross had no real previous experience as either a civil rights activist or in the civil rights movement before arriving in Birmingham.
Cross's new city, Birmingham, Alabama
, was one of the most volatile flashpoints in the South at the time. The city had earned the nickname of "Bombingham" by 1962 due to the large number of racially charged bombings during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was considered a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan
, who often perpetuated random violence against the city's black population. Birmingham's notorious public safety commissioner
, Eugene "Bull" Connor, was well known for turning high-powered fire hose
s and attack dogs on protesters.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pastor and Civil Rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist. He was best known as the pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church
16th Street Baptist Church
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama which is frequented predominately by African Americans. In September 1963, it was the target of the racially motivated 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four girls in the midst of the American Civil Rights...
, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
congregation in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, at the time of church's racially motivated bombing
16th Street Baptist Church bombing
The 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed on Sunday, September 15, 1963. The explosion at the African-American church, which killed four girls, marked a turning point in the U.S...
in 1963. The bombing, which ripped through the church and killed four young girls, became a rallying cry for the Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
and propelled the problems of racial segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
in The South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
into the national spotlight. Cross spent much of the rest of his life working for racial reconciliation in the South.
Early life
John Cross Jr. was born on January 27, 1925, in Haynes, ArkansasHaynes, Arkansas
Haynes is a town in Lee County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 214 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Haynes is located at ....
. His parents were Margie Ann and John H. Cross Sr. He became interested in the ministry very early in life when he gave his first trial sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
as a teenager. Cross joined the U.S. Army in 1944 as an assistant regimental chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
soon after graduating from high school.
Cross left the army following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Cross enrolled at Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union University is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It took its present name in 1899 upon the merger of two older schools, Richmond Theological Institute and Wayland Seminary, each founded after the end of American Civil War by the American...
, a historically African American university
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, where he received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1950. He later also received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in divinity
Divinity
Divinity and divine are broadly applied but loosely defined terms, used variously within different faiths and belief systems — and even by different individuals within a given faith — to refer to some transcendent or transcendental power or deity, or its attributes or manifestations in...
from Virginia Union University in 1959.
Cross met his wife, Julia Ball, who was also a student at Virginia Union University. The couple married on September 3, 1949. Julia Cross died in 2003.
16th Street Baptist Church
John Cross Jr was named the new pastor of the 16th Street Baptist Church16th Street Baptist Church
Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama which is frequented predominately by African Americans. In September 1963, it was the target of the racially motivated 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four girls in the midst of the American Civil Rights...
in 1962. He was serving as a pastor of a Baptist church in Richmond, Virginia at the time. Cross was asked to serve at the church because he seemed to be a good match for its congregation, who largely consisted of conservative, well educated African Americans. Cross had no real previous experience as either a civil rights activist or in the civil rights movement before arriving in Birmingham.
Cross's new city, Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, was one of the most volatile flashpoints in the South at the time. The city had earned the nickname of "Bombingham" by 1962 due to the large number of racially charged bombings during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was considered a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, who often perpetuated random violence against the city's black population. Birmingham's notorious public safety commissioner
Police commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
, Eugene "Bull" Connor, was well known for turning high-powered fire hose
Fire hose
A fire hose is a high-pressure hose used to carry water or other fire retardant to a fire to extinguish it. Outdoors, it is attached either to a fire engine or a fire hydrant. Indoors, it can be permanently attached to a building's standpipe or plumbing system...
s and attack dogs on protesters.