Obituaries
Memorial Service For Civil Rights Leader Who Lived In Asbury Park
The Rev. Gilbert Caldwell participated in the March on Washington and the Selma "Bloody Sunday" march.
ASBURY PARK – A memorial service was held this past week for a civil rights leader who lived in Asbury Park.
The service was held in Springwood Avenue Park for the Rev. Gilbert Caldwell, who participated in the March on Washington and the Selma "Bloody Sunday" march.
Caldwell was a retired minister with the United Methodist Church when he moved to Asbury Park in 2007, according to The Asbury Park Sun.
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He also was a strong supporter of LGBTQ rights, once writing: "Soon, my faith, justice commitments, and African American history and heritage of resistance to discrimination, transcended my prejudice and I became an ally and advocate of LGBTQ rights in The United Methodist Church and society."
His son Dale Caldwell said he recommended Asbury Park to his parents for their retirement because he thought his father would fit well in the community, according to the Sun.
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Community leaders, mostly from Asbury Park, also addressed the gathering at the memorial service:
Memorial Service for Gil Caldwell held in Springwood Ave park. Caldwell was a civil rights leader and retired clergyman who was beloved in Asbury Park. https://t.co/hDFgFf0aO8
— Asbury Park Sun (@AsburyParkSun) September 20, 2020
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