Jonathan Daniels
Jonathan M. Daniels was born in
Keene, New Hampshire on March 20, 1939. He was Valedictorian of the Virginia Military
Institute Class of 1961. He was awarded
the prestigious Danforth Fellowship for Post-Graduate study and enrolled at
Harvard University to continue his study of English Literature. Daniels soon
realized that he was called to the Ministry. While a Seminarian at the
Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts (expected to graduate in
1966) he responded to the pleas of Dr. Martin Luther King for Clergy to become
more actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement, and traveled to Alabama to
assist with voter registration efforts in the South.
In August 1965 Daniels and 22
others were arrested for participating in a voter rights demonstration in Fort
Deposit, Alabama, and transferred to the county jail in nearby Hayneville.
Shortly after being released on August 20th, Richard Morrisroe, a
Catholic Priest, and Daniels accompanied two black teenagers, Joyce Bailey and
Ruby Sales, to a Hayneville store to buy a soda. They were met on the steps by
Tom Coleman, a construction worker, and part-time Deputy Sheriff, who was
carrying a shotgun. Coleman aimed his gun at sixteen year old Ruby Sales;
Daniels pushed her to the ground in order to protect her, saving her life. The
shotgun blast killed Daniels instantly; Morrisroe was seriously wounded.
Daniels was 26 years old.
Coleman was acquitted of manslaughter charges
and died in 1997 without ever being brought to justice. Ruby Sales went on to
attend Episcopal Theological School (now Episcopal Divinity School). She works
as a human rights advocate in Washington, DC, and founded an inner-city mission
dedicated to Daniels.
When he heard of the tragedy,
Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "One of the most heroic Christian deeds of
which I have heard in my entire ministry was performed by Jonathan
Daniels."
In the years since his death,
Daniels' selfless act has been recognized in many ways. Two books have been
written about his life, and the1999 Documentary (“Here Am I, Send Me: The
Journey of Jonathan Daniels”) was made.
The US Episcopal Church made him
a Martyr in 1991 and made August 14th his Feast Day and in England's
Canterbury Cathedral, Daniels name is among the fifteen honored in the Chapel
of Martyrs.
In 1997, the VMI established the
Jonathan M. Daniels '61 Humanitarian Award. The award emphasizes the virtue of
humanitarian public service and recognizes individuals who have made
significant personal sacrifices to protect or improve the lives of others. In
addition, one of only four named archways in the VMI Barracks is dedicated to Daniels,
as is a memorial courtyard.
One of the five Elementary Schools
in Daniels' hometown of Keene, New Hampshire, is named after him. A New
Hampshire historical marker (number 226) about Daniels was erected in Keene in
2011.
In 2013, the Order of Saint Luke, a religious
order in the United Methodist Church, added Daniels to their calendar of Saints
and recommended his commemoration to all United Methodists.
In 2015, Washington National
Cathedral unveiled and dedicated a newly-carved sculpture of Daniels (by
sculptor Chas Fagan) within its Human Rights Porch.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Daniels
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