Legacy and Footprint

Rev. Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Co-Founder and Leader of "Deacons for Defense"

Folksinger

· Activist: Civil and Human Rights, C.O.R.E., NAACP, Southern Christian Leadership Conference

· Associate of Martin Luther King, Jr.

· Catalyst for famed Jackson High School protest in Jonesboro, LA that set precedence for a governor to intervene in negotiating a settlement in a civil rights protest in the deep south, thereby marking a turning-point in Southern history. Kirkpatrick, a renaissance man, pursued and prevailed in many areas: a GSU alum and NFL player with the Kansas City Chiefs

· Co-wrote civil rights anthem, "Everybody Has A Right to Live" per request of Dr. MLK

· Appeared on Sesame Street with Big Bird several times

· Recorded several albums of folklore and won with Pete Seiger for Sesame Street

· Director of various human rights organizations including Poor Peoples Campaign and Southern Leadership Conference

· As a coach in various schools, his teams were the first in north Louisiana ever to win state championships in either football or basketball

· Founded and hosted the LA Folkfest

· Ran for president of USA in 1976

· Opened a coveted coffee house in NYC.

Article sponsored by his Jackson High School students, Class of 1965: Thomas Flowers, Sr., Fred L. Gray, Melba C. Gray

Photo Rev. Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick