James Orange

Reverend James E. Orange (born 1942 in Birmingham - died February 16, 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia) was an important figure in the Civil Rights movement, joining Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr in the Birmingham campaign as well as in Selma and on the Poor People's Campaign.

Orange grew up in Birmingham and graduated from Parker High School. He was active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from the early 1960s to 1977 when he began working for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union.

Until his retirement in 2005, Orange remained active in campaigning for civil rights and labor issues in the South as well as in South Africa and with the International Olympic Committee. He also coordinated observances of Martin Luther King, Jr Day in Atlanta.

Orange died of complications from gall bladder surgery in February 2008 at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta. He was survived by his wife, Cleo; five children and two grandchildren.

References

• "King lieutenant dies in Atlanta." (February 18, 2008) Associated Press