By Shaniyah Hubbard
On Nov. 2nd, the Cleveland Civil Rights Trail unveiled its newest historic marker located on E. 105th Street in front of the Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church. Other markers established along the Trail are located at Cory United Methodist Church (1117 El 105th St), Cleveland’s City Hall (601 Lakeside Ave) in honor of its first black mayor, Carl Stokes, and the Ludlow Community Association (14201 Southington Rd).
The church was a big focal point in the civil rights movement, and was previously a headquarters for the United Freedom Movement (UFM). One of the goals of the UFM was abolishing segregation in public schools.
Today, the church has been an activist for community engagement. The pastor of the church, Rev. Dr. E. Theophilus Caviness, said in a Cleveland.com article, “I’m ecstatic for what it means to our community and what it means to people who are struggling and striving in these very difficult and critical times.”
