Oral history interview with William Lovell, 2000

Biographical Note

Reverend William Lovell was born in Hunan Province, China to missionary parents. Continuing in their footsteps, Lovell joined the ministry and attended Union Theological Seminary after graduating from Yale University. While at Union Theological in 1940, he became one of eight students who refused to take their clerical exemption from the draft, electing instead to go to jail in protest of the war. The seminarians were sentenced to one year and one day of time, but only served ten months. One of the fellow "Union Eight" was Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) founder George Houser, who drew Lovell into the early years of the organization. Lovell spent the rest of his life involved in movements for social change and presiding over a socially-conscious congregation. He was involved with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, participated in the March on Washington of 1963, worked as the Director of Higher Education for the National Council of Churches, and co-founded Protestants for the Common Good with fellow "Union Eight" member Don Benedict. Lovell died on May 13, 2008

Scope and Contents

Reverend William Lovell begins this interview by recalling memories of his childhood in China, where his parents worked as missionaries. He chronicles their move back to and around the United States. Lovell characterizes his early political influences, including: his parents politics and their involvement in the Fellowship of Reconciliation, his education at a Quaker school, and a tour of the underside of New York City by a divinity school student. He discusses his parents' education, their experience of the Depression, and their work in both China and the US. Additionally, Lovell discusses his own work at a factory in Cleveland and his membership in a union there. He shares his memories of the "Union Eight," their experience in prison, and their lives after they were released. He elaborates on his relationship with another of the "Union Eight," George Houser. Lovell explains his role in the early formation of CORE and his help in the organization's expansion to Detroit. He shares his impressions of Bayard Rustin, his memories of the Detroit riots, and the story of how he met his wife Ellen. Lovell also talks about his experience within the church, where he presided over the first interracial congregation in Chicago. He shares the racial demographics of the neighborhoods surrounding his church, which were impacted by Japanese resettlement into Chicago. Lovell discusses his experience preaching with a Black co-minister and his subsequent struggle finding other churches comfortable with integrated congregations and pacifist politics. In broader terms, Lovell talks about how Christian denominations differ and the continued religious debates on homosexuality

Subjects

• Chicago (Ill.)--History.
• Civil rights--Religious aspects--Christianity--History--20th century.
• Civil rights movements--United States--History--20th century.
• Clergy--Interviews.
• Congress of Racial Equality.
• Houser, George M.
• Interviews.
• Lovell, William--Interviews.
• Michaels, Sheila, 1939-2017, interviewer.
• Oral histories.
• Pacifism.
• United States--Race relations--History--20th century.
• World War, 1939-1945--Draft resisters.