The Rev. Robert Graetz, one of the early white allies of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Montgomery, Ala., with the civil rights icon in an undated photo. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick
On September 20, the Rev. Robert Graetz died at the age of 92. His name is probably unfamiliar to most people, but his witness of faith and racial justice is one we need to remember especially in these days of division and racial tension. In 1955 as a 27 year old newly ordained Lutheran minister, Rev. Graetz who was white became the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Evangelical Church a predominantly black congregation in Montgomery, AL. He became friends with another new young pastor in Montgomery, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. He was also a friend of Rosa Parks. In December 1955, Rev. Graetz joined the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association that organized the famous bus boycott in response to the arrest of Rosa Parks. He was elected as the group’s secretary and was the only white clergyman to support the boycott. He paid the price for his faith and acts of racial justice. Here is a summary of some of what he and his family faced:
He and his family were ostracized by other whites and suffered several episodes of harassment: their tires were slashed, sugar was poured into the gas tank of their car, they received death threats—some of which were directed against their children, they were arrested, and bombs were planted at their home on three occasions; the largest, comprising 11 sticks of dynamite, did not explode.
Through all this Rev. Graetz stayed faithful to his belief that racial justice is God’s will. He also recognized that the movement in Montgomery that spread around the country over the next years needed to be led by Black people. He was a true ally who followed the direction of Black leaders. Looking back on his involvement in the Montgomery bus boycott he once described the bus boycott as Black Christians “teaching white Christians what it means to be Christian.” These are still important words today for any of us who are white and are called to be allies in the ongoing struggle for racial justice. Sixty five years after the start of the year long Montgomery bus boycott, it is important to remember and honor the witness of a true ally in the struggle for racial justice – The Rev. Robert Graetz. Take a minute to watch the video clip posted below so that you can see and hear the witness of Rev. Graetz in his own words.