December 28, 1926 — December 28, 2026
A Life of Faith in Public
A Centennial Year of Celebration — 1926–2026
Pastor · Civil Rights Leader · Visionary · Servant
Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney · 1926–2018
Centennial
Samuel B.
McKinney
1926–2026
Beginning in January, community groups, museums, schools, faith institutions, archives, and fraternal organizations across the country are hosting events honoring Rev. McKinney's 100th birthday. This site is the official central hub for the entire centennial year.
Hosted by Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney
Limited Episode Series · Virtual / National · Links Posted As Episodes Release
The Centennial Podcast
Dr. Lora-Ellen McKinney hosts this limited-episode podcast series as the storytelling foundation of the centennial year — weaving together her father's faith, his civil rights leadership, and his enduring impact on Seattle and the nation.
A dedicated podcast website is currently under design. Episode links will be posted here as they are released for local and national virtual listening.
Subscribe for UpdatesHis Legacy
Born December 28, 1926, in Flint, Michigan, Samuel Berry McKinney would grow to become one of the most consequential civil rights voices in the American Northwest. A classmate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Morehouse College, he was guided by a profound conviction that faith demands action in the world.
For forty years — from 1958 to 1998 — he served as pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in Seattle's Central Area, growing the congregation from 800 to more than 2,500 members. Under his leadership, Mount Zion became a headquarters for justice, a training ground for leaders, and a lifeline for the community.
He co-founded Liberty Bank, Seattle's first Black-owned bank. He helped win passage of the city's first fair-housing act. He marched in Selma and Washington, D.C., protested apartheid, and brought Dr. King to Seattle for his only visit to the city in 1961. In 2014, the Seattle City Council renamed blocks near Mount Zion in his honor.
Reverend McKinney passed on April 7, 2018. He was 91. His life's work endures — and now, through this foundation, so does his mission.
🏛 Congressional Recognition
On December 17, 2025, U.S. Representative Adam Smith entered a formal citation honoring Reverend McKinney's life and legacy into the Congressional Record of the United States House of Representatives.
A Life of Milestones
1926
Born December 28, Flint, Michigan.
1949
Graduates Morehouse College alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
1958
Becomes pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, Seattle. Congregation grows from 800 to 2,500 members.
1961
Leads "Don't Shop Where You Can't Work" boycott, forcing Safeway and The Bon Marché to hire Black workers. Brings Dr. King to Seattle for his only visit.
1965
Marches Selma to Montgomery for the Voting Rights Act.
1966
Co-founds Liberty Bank, Seattle's first Black-owned bank. Co-leads school desegregation boycott — Mount Zion serves as Freedom School for 500 students.
1966
Co-founds Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center for vocational training.
TBD
Serves on Seattle Human Rights Commission, instrumental in passing the city's first fair-housing legislation.
TBD
Becomes first Black President of the Council of Churches of Greater Seattle.
1998
Samuel Berry McKinney Manor built — 64 units of housing including low-income options.
2013
Street near Mount Zion Baptist Church named in his honor.
2014
Seattle City Council unanimously renames 19th Avenue "Rev. Dr. S. McKinney Ave."
2025
U.S. Representative Adam Smith enters citation honoring Rev. McKinney into the Congressional Record.
2026
A nation celebrates his centennial year.
A Life in Photos
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Additional photos will be added as the centennial year progresses. Community photos available via the Washington State Black Legacy Institute.
"We have not reached heaven yet. We do not live in a nonracist society. We have to tell the truth, whether we like it or not."
— Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney, 2012
Centennial Year Events
Throughout 2026, communities in Seattle, Cleveland, Providence, and Atlanta will honor Reverend McKinney's century of impact. Virtual links for national viewing shared as dates are confirmed.
Seattle Colleges celebrated Rev. McKinney as part of their annual MLK programming. Watch the video →
The Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority honored Rev. McKinney at their second annual brunch celebrating Black economic brilliance.
A limited-episode podcast series serving as the narrative anchor of the centennial year. Virtual links shared as episodes release.
Rev. McKinney's spiritual autobiography — written in 1973, rediscovered in 2025 — published to raise funds for the McKinney Foundation.
Emmy-winning documentarian John Forsen's film featuring a segment on Rev. McKinney, also used in Washington State school curricula.
Reverend McKinney honored by his alma mater where he earned his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees.
A documentary by Roger Evans of the Washington State Black Legacy Institute, premiering at the Juneteenth Film Festival.
Tours of the former Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center, highlighting McKinney memorabilia and the institution's history.
Exhibit featuring clothing worn by Rev. McKinney and stories about the significance of his wardrobe choices, supplemented with context about the church and local Black community history.
Displays, educational programming, and book readings by authors who have written about Reverend McKinney. Continues through December.
Exhibits and programming honoring both Rev. McKinney and his wife Louise at the Douglass-Truth Branch.
Town Hall Seattle hosts the world premiere of holiday music by Drs. Dave Ragland and Lora-Ellen McKinney — closing the centennial year in celebration.
Home of the McKinney Papers — sermons, manuscripts, personal papers, family files, and photographs.
Program at the church where Samuel McKinney's father pastored and where Samuel received his license to preach, served as Youth Pastor, and coached basketball and football.
Programming honoring local ministers and the contributions of Louise McKinney and her parents, John and Laura Jones.
A display detailing Rev. McKinney's time as pastor of Olney Street Baptist Church (1955–1958).
Community-focused digital photo archive of Reverend McKinney's life and work made available to the public.
The McKinney Foundation
Continuing Dr. McKinney's lifelong commitment to equality in housing, employment, education, and civic life — for every person, everywhere.
Honoring his conviction that genuine faith requires engagement with the world — service over comfort, courage over silence.
Investing in the Central Area and communities across the Pacific Northwest through scholarships, economic opportunity, and youth development.
Documenting and teaching the history of Seattle's civil rights movement so future generations know who came before them.
Books, Documents & Archives
Document — Download
We're Not in Heaven Yet
Washington State Office of the Secretary of State — Legacy Washington profile and downloadable document.
Read & Download →Autobiography — Coming Soon
A Spiritual Autobiography
Written in 1973 as a requirement of his doctoral program. Rediscovered in 2025. Available for download soon.
Available SoonBook — Amazon
Church Administration in the Black Perspective
By Floyd Massey Jr. and Samuel Berry McKinney. A foundational text on church leadership.
Find on Amazon →Book — 2015
Outsiders in a Promised Land
By Dale Soden — Religious Activists in Pacific Northwest History (2015). Includes significant profile of Rev. McKinney.
Find on Amazon →Biography — Forthcoming
Biography of Rev. Samuel Berry McKinney
By Dale Soden — the first full biography of Rev. McKinney. Currently seeking a publisher. Updates to follow.
ForthcomingCongressional Record — Dec 17, 2025
U.S. Congressional Record Citation
Representative Adam Smith entered a formal citation honoring Rev. McKinney's life and legacy into the Congressional Record.
Read the Citation →Oral History — Library of Congress
Library of Congress Oral History Interview
Rev. McKinney's oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Seattle, Washington, April 17, 2013. Archived at the Library of Congress.
Listen & Read →Documentary — KCTS 9 PBS, 1998
Reverend Samuel McKinney: 40 Years of Faith
In honor of his retirement from Mount Zion, KCTS 9 produced this documentary looking back on his life, activism, and faith.
Watch Documentary →Support the Foundation
Your gift helps carry forward the justice, faith, and community work that defined Reverend McKinney's extraordinary life. Every contribution — of any size — becomes part of the ongoing story.
Get in Touch
Whether you'd like to volunteer, partner with us, share a memory of Reverend McKinney, or learn more — we'd love to hear from you.