Dr. Frederick Douglas Reese

“A LIVING LEGEND”

Who is Dr. Frederick Douglas Reese? Dr. F.D. Reese is a pioneer of the Civil Rights struggle in America. Dr. Reese was a key instrument in the accomplishments of the Civil Rights Movement. He spoke with eloquent persuasion as an advocate for those who were denied certain liberties. His gift of allurement was utilized while he served as President of the Dallas County Voter’s League.

He led and/or coordinated numerous marches, demonstrations, in Selma, Alabama causing attention to be focused on the injustice of African American citizens. As Selma’s Local Leader, he signed the invitation to officially invite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to come to Selma/Dallas County as assist in the struggle for the right to vote.

He marched side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the struggle for human rights for all citizens in of the Untied States of America. On numerous occasions Dr. Reese and Dr. King were jailed with each other in their attempt to pursue “liberty and justice for all.” The struggle provided national attention to the injustice of the forbiddance to allow African Americans the right to vote.

Even in the mist of bomb threats, tear gas, vicious biting police dogs, public beatings at the hands of law enforcement, and assignation plots of many warriors of justice, Dr. F.D. Reese stood his grounds and remained faithful in the pursuit of equal liberties to all mankind.

He has been invited to speak on campuses, churches, and various platforms throughout the nation. Dr. Reese has been interviewed by this country’s finest news agencies in attempt to receive an inside and close hand look at the Civil Rights Movement. He is a LIVING LEGEND!


Dr. F. D. Reese holding hands during the Selma to Mongomery March with Coretta Scott King

Footsteps in The Civil Rights Movement:

  • Led many demonstrations in support of the Right to Vote against City and County Establishments in 1965.
  • Organized Black Teachers in the fight for the Right-to-Vote. Also led the first demonstration of Black Teachers in the United States for the Right-to-Vote to the Dallas County Court House.
  • Signed official letter to invite Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the S.C.L.C. to participate in the affairs of Selma/Dallas County Right-to-Vote.
  • Led demonstrations against the local newspaper for using the “N__ Page” and for maintaining a separate section for “Colored News,” as well as omitting the tiles of “Miss/Mrs.” From the names of Black women.
  • Led marches and “sit-ins” at “all white” local theater section, food establishments, and doctor’s offices that discriminated against minorities.
  • Gave leadership in bringing the members of the Retail Merchants Association around the conference table to discuss the hiring of Black Clerks and Cashiers in stores in the Selma area.
  • Led many demonstrations against the former all white Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee, and organized Black Citizens to run for positions on the committee.
  • He was noted for being the first African American to run for public office, in 1964, since Reconstruction in Selma/Dallas County, Alabama.
  • Provided leadership as a member of the Merger Committee for the Selma Teacher’s Association in drawing up an interim Constitution for 6 years, whereby the basis for representation throughout the Selma Education Association would be on a 50-50 black and white basis.
  • He was a key organizer of the Selma to Montgomery March.
  • He was brutally attacked and beaten during the famed “Bloody Sunday” travesty on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.
  • Dr. Reese marched on the front during the famous Selma to Montgomery. Those on the front line included: Dr. F. D. Reese, Mrs. Rosa Parks, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. and Mrs. Ralph Abernathy, Mr. Phillip A. Randolph, and Rev. Hosea Williams.

In 1998 the U.S. Secretary of Interior appointed Dr. Reese as Chairman of the Citizens’ Advisory Council, Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

On May 27, 2000, a three mile stretch on Highway 80 East (the route of the Selma to Montgomery March), beginning at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, was named in Dr. F.D. Reese’s honor. The stretch is now known as the “Frederick D. Reese Parkway.”

Education

  • Alabama State University, Montgomery, Alabama B.S. Degree in Secondary Education Major in Science/Minor in Mathematics
  • Livingston University, Livingston, Alabama M. Ed. Degree in Administrative A.A. Specialist Diploma in Administration Ed. S. Degree in Administration
  • Selma University, Selma, Alabama Doctor of Divinity
  • Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa Doctor of Divinity Degree

Activities in the field of Education (Past & Present):

Dr. Reese has an extended background in the education field, ranging from instructor to assistant administrator to the Superintendent of the Selma City School District.

  • Awarded the “Abraham Lincoln Award” in Detroit, Michigan for outstanding leadership of Education in the Civil Rights from the National Educational Association Convention.
  • Wilcox County Teacher’s Association
  • Chairman, Wilcox County Teacher’s Planning Committee
  • Assistant Principal, Wilcox County Training School
  • Instructor, Science and Mathematics, R.B. Hudson High School
  • 1st Black President, Selma Education Association
  • Assistant Principal. Eastside Junior High School
  • Principal, Selma High School
  • Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of Education, Selma School District
  • Member, National Education Association
  • Member, National Association of Secondary Principals
  • Member, Alabama Education Association
  • Member, Selma Education Association

He is a charter member of the Gamma Beta Chapter, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He has served as the assistant director of the Southern Region, President of the Gamma Beta Chapter.

October 7, 2005, Dr. Reese was inducted into the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia.

Personal Facts:

  • Born in Selma, Alabama
  • Attended grade school at Clark Elementary and graduated from high school at Knox Academy.
  • Married the former Alline Toulas Crossings. They are the proud parents of five children: Frederick Jr., Valerie, Marvin, Christa, and Alan.
  • Dr. Reese has served as Senior Pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church since 1965
  • Moderator of the Old Shady Grove District Baptist Association
  • Member of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc.
  • Member of the Alabama Baptist State Convention
  • Member if the Southwest District State Convention
  • Served as a mentor to countless pastors and ministers throughout the nation; in fact, he ordained our very own Pastor Lonnie E. Anderson, Jr. Pastor Anderson served as Youth Pastor and then Assistant Pastor for 4 ½ years under the leadership of Dr. F.D. Reese.

Past and Present Affiliations

  • Former Member, Economic Opportunity Board
  • Former Member, Board of Directors, Good Samaritan Hospital
  • Former Member, Selma-Dallas County Black Leadership Council
  • Former Member, Selma City Council (12 years)
  • Unsuccessfully ran for mayor of the city of Selma in 1984.
  • Member, Board of Directors, Carver Branch YMCA
  • Alabama State Director, Bigger and Better Business
  • Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
  • President, Pan Hellenic Council, Alabama State University
  • President, Campus Society of Musicians, Alabama State University

It is because of his character and integrity that we the Mount Pisgah Baptist Church believe that it is an honor to name our institution after a man with such courageous wisdom and love for mankind. His love for humanity and his emphasis on the development of education are key components that led us to naming our Academy in his behalf. For over 40 years, Frederick Douglas Reese’s overwhelming desire to see children educated and developed are yet but another key contributing fact to the naming of our Academy. Dr. Reese encompasses the inner drive and determination of building a path to excellence.

“I give God all praise and honor, for He alone remains noteworthy of all these accomplishments. I had no idea that He would use me in history, as a vehicle for Him to set a precedence in a movement that would change this entire nation and world. I claim no credit on my own, it was the hands of God. Never have I ever lifted my name to be noticed or recognized by men, but I’m totally content that God’s name be only glorified, for after all it was Him who moved in such a miraculous way…”