Cecil L. ‘Chip’ Murray, influential pastor and civil rights leader in Los Angeles, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, an influential pastor and civil rights leader who used his tenure at one of Los Angeles’ oldest churches to uplift the predominantly Black neighborhoods of South Los Angeles following one of the country’s worst race riots, has died. He was 94.

Murray died on Friday, according to an announcement from the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture. He died of natural causes, his son, Drew Murray, told the Los Angeles Times.

Born in Lakeland, Florida, in 1929, Murray spent 27 years as the pastor of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles. The church was small when he took over. But by the time he retired, it had grown into an 18,000-member mega church.

In 1992, the acquittal of four police officers who were caught on video violently beating Rodney King triggered an explosion of violence in the predominantly Black neighborhoods of South Los Angeles. Murray emerged as a calming presence and was a frequent guest on national television news shows. He used his connections with the city’s political and business leaders to raise money for recovery efforts, including loans for businesses and assistance for people displaced by the violence.

“While many famous preachers have roots in Southern California, Chip Murray is unparalleled in his ability to mobilize the city of Los Angeles to heal the inequities related to race and income inequality,” said Donald E. Miller, the Leonard K. Firestone Professor of Religion at USC and co-founder of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture.

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