Billy Kyles

Born

1934-09-26

Died

2016-04-28

Birthplace

Shelby, Mississippi, US

Biography

Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles was a prominent figure in the American civil rights movement and close associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He served as a pastor at Monumental Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee, from 1959 until his retirement in 2014. Kyles was involved in voter registration drives, helped to drive causes including integration of schools in Memphis, de-segregation of Memphis city buses and admittance for blacks in Memphis restaurants and movie theaters. Kyles was present on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel with Martin Luther King Jr. when King was assassinated in 1968. Kyles continued to be active in the civil rights movement, helping found a chapter of People United to Save Humanity (PUSH) in Memphis and 96, and was appointed to the Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad by President Bill Clinton in 1996.