Recognizing Reverend Dr. Sammuel McKinney

Floor Speech

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Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Rev. Dr. Sammuel McKinney for what would be his 100th birthday on December 28, 2025 for the contributions he made to our Nation as a civil rights leader who fought tirelessly for social justice and racial equality in Seattle and who served devotedly as the beloved pastor of the Central Area's Mount Zion Baptist Church.

The son of a Baptist minister and grandson of a Georgia sharecropper, the Reverend Dr. McKinney was devoted to serving his community throughout his life. McKinney bravely served during World War II in a segregated unit of the U.S. Army Air Corps. He graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta after returning home from war, and then he went on to earn a divinity degree from Colgate in 1952. He settled down in Seattle, where he came to lead the congregation of one of Seattle's oldest and largest African American churches for forty-three years as pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church. He was not only a spiritual guide, but a community builder who tripled the size of his congregation during his time as pastor at Mount Zion. McKinney was a founding member of Seattle's First Human Rights Commission, which successfully fought for the Seattle's first Fair Housing Act, establishing protection for tenants of protected classes and marginalized communities. A lifelong champion for racial justice, McKinney founded Liberty Bank, Seattle's first black-owned financial institution which countered racially biased restrictions on loans to African Americans and expanded opportunities for homeownership in Seattle.

McKinney was a friend to many, including the noted fellow pastor and civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The pair had known each other from childhood but grew closer friends at Morehouse College. Dr. King visited Seattle only once, after his old friend requested that he come to give a speech in 1961. During his visit, Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of McKinney's influence in the civil rights movement and his commitment to racial equality.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Rev. Dr. Sammuel McKinney for a lifetime of service to the United States of America and to the city of Seattle. I am deeply grateful for his important efforts towards protecting our country, advancing social justice, and fostering economic development. His legacy will not be forgotten.

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