Remember, Lest We Forget Rev. Ralph ‘Ed’ Edwin King Jr.
Mississippi also mourns the passing of Rev. Ed King, a civil rights leader, advocate for justice, and former College Chaplain whose legacy remains deeply woven into the history of Tougaloo College and the Civil Rights Movement.
He succumbed July 4, 2026. He was 89. A private service was held recently in his honor.
Reverend King served as Chaplain at Tougaloo College from 1963 to 1967, a defining period in both the institution’s history and the nation’s struggle for civil rights. During his tenure, he provided spiritual leadership, mentorship, and unwavering support to students who courageously challenged injustice through peaceful activism.
His arrival at Tougaloo in 1963 coincided with one of the most significant chapters in the College’s history. That same year, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his first visit to Tougaloo’s campus, and Tougaloo students organized the historic Woolworth’s sit-in in downtown Jackson on May 28, 1963. Reverend King, alongside Medgar Evers, stood beside those students as a trusted mentor and advocate during their pursuit of equality and justice.
Beyond campus, Reverend King was a charter member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and was a beloved member of the Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement.
