RICHMOND, Va. -- A "pillar" of Church Hill and a man known as "The Dean" to many Richmonders will forever have his name on the block of P Street where his religious, civil rights and community work emanated.
On Friday, the street outside of Fourth Baptist Church was renamed in honor of Rev. Dr. Robert Louis Taylor.
Dr. Taylor was the pastor of Fourth Baptist Church from 1952-1986, leading his congregation from the pulpit during the height of the civil rights movement. As the church puts it, his ministry began during a time when Sunday mornings were the most segregated hour in America.
Working across religious and racial lines, Dr. Taylor worked to change that and was a fierce, outspoken advocate when he saw racial or social injustice at play.
"He was a bridge builder. He believed in positive changes, he was a civil rights leader and a civics leader," said Del. Delores McQuinn, who knew Taylor. "Let us never forget the work that Dr. Taylor put in this community and how he brought positive changes.”
“What he did in leading African Americans when he did it is monumental. We take for granted the things that we have this day," said City Council President Mike Jones, a former pastor at Fourth Baptist.
Rev. Dr. Patrica Gould-Champ, now a pastor and theology professor at Virginia Union University, was baptized by Dr. Taylor when she was a young girl.
"He was so loving, so kind, and when I became a pastor years later, I said I want to be that kind of pastor that my life would make an impact," Dr. Gould-Champ said. “My chest would stick out as a little girl as he talked from the pulpit about how we need to picket and not buy at Thalhimers and Millers and Rhoads until they began to treat us as people with dignity and respect.”
Several family members of Dr. Taylor, including his son and granddaughter, were in attendance at Friday's ceremony. Ramona Edwards, Dr. Taylor's granddaughter, said he was a man of love toward his family and the entire community.
"I always admired how my grandfather inspired his congregation," she said. "He was a man who loved Church Hill and worked tirelessly with every minister, politician, and families to make this community strong. . . He broke barriers and refused to lay down.”
“My pastor was like Martin Luther King Jr. to me and to us because he was at the forefront of everything that was going on in our community, leading the fight for justice," Dr. Gould-Champ said.
Dr. Taylor passed away in 2012, but the Virginia General Assembly passed a resolution honoring his life. The full text is below.
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor, the youngest of seven children, was born on May 26, 1916, in Hanover County, and entered into eternal rest on February 4, 2012; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor began his education in a segregated one-room school in Noel in Hanover County; attended Armstrong High School in Richmond, where he was elected president of his graduating class; earned a bachelor of arts degree from Virginia Union University and the master of divinity degree from the university's Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology; continued graduate study in sociology at Richmond Professional Institute, now Virginia Commonwealth University; and received an honorary doctorate degree from Virginia Union University; and
WHEREAS, affectionately called "The Dean" by his colleagues, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor was a kind and affable gentleman who mentored young pastors, encouraging them to remain socially active and community conscious; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor tenaciously practiced his faith with fierce determination, and "with a cordial but insistent agitation, he constantly prodded the community toward engagement" to effect positive change; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor was dedicated to his calling, serving God's people as pastor of several churches, including St. Mark Baptist Church in Manakin, Watch Tower Baptist Church in Louisa County, Westwood Baptist Church, Second Baptist Church South Richmond, and, as the beloved under-shepherd, Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond, the first African American Baptist church in Church Hill, from which he retired after 34 years of faithful service; and WHEREAS, continuing to serve in ministry even after retirement, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor was named Pastor Emeritus of Fourth Baptist Church and served as interim pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Glen Allen, Providence Baptist Church in Ashland, and Pilgrim Baptist Church and St. John Baptist Church in Richmond; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor presided over a host of religious organizations, among them the Baptist Ministers Conference of Richmond and Vicinity, the Mattaponi Baptist Association of Virginia, the Goodwill Baptist Convention of Virginia, the National Baptist Convention of America, USA, Inc.; toured West Africa and Europe with the Lott Carey Delegation; and represented the World Council of Churches as a delegate to Africa and England; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor was a pioneer in local civil rights and was among the African American and white clergy who met with representatives of downtown Richmond stores that had refused to serve students from Virginia Union University during the lunch counter sit-ins; he savored the privilege afforded to him to march with and introduce Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during Dr. King's visit to Virginia Union University; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor devoted his talents and time to numerous community endeavors, including aiding public housing residents, promoting job growth and economic development, caring for the homeless and the poor, advocating educational opportunities and work training programs to enable school dropouts and the unemployed to compete for jobs, and serving as campaign manager for Senator Henry L. Marsh III during his run to become the first African American elected Mayor of the City of Richmond; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor treasured his longtime role as Police Chaplain for the Richmond Bureau of Police and considered it a privilege to pray for, encourage, and counsel police and provide pastoral care to police officers to support and assist them in performing their duties to ensure public safety; and
WHEREAS, a remarkable and distinguished pastor, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor powerfully and persuasively proclaimed the Gospel each time he mounted the pulpit; he was a consensus builder and peacemaker who was actively involved in the city's ecumenical movement, building inter-denominational bonds, improving race relations, addressing ethical and moral issues in the community and before elected officials, and working diligently to enhance community interaction; and
WHEREAS, colleagues remember the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor as "passionate about his faith and social justice, never sinking to the level of his adversaries, and that he was a powerful, persuasive presence with a gentle authenticity"; and
WHEREAS, during his lifetime, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor received many honors, accolades, and awards, including the Brotherhood Award from the National Council of Christians and Jews in 1974, for bridge-building and civic and religious leadership, and the Fourth Baptist Church child day care center and church extension are named in his honor; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor once declared that he "sought to be a good shepherd under the influence of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ," and he has run his course with faith and perseverance; and
WHEREAS, the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor's life is worthy of emulation, and he inspired family, friends, fellow clergy and churchmen, congregants, law-enforcement officers, elected officials and community leaders, and thousands of people whose lives were touched and enriched by knowing him; and
WHEREAS, the loss of the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor will be mourned and his memory cherished by all who knew him; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor, native son, and pastor emeritus of Fourth Baptist Church in Richmond; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Reverend Dr. Robert Louis Taylor as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.
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