Frederick D. Reese | |
|---|---|
 Frederick D. Reese in 2016 | |
| Born | Frederick Douglas Reese November 28, 1929 Selma, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 2018 (aged 88) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Alabama State University |
| Occupation(s) | Teacher, minister, activist |
| Years active | 1960–2018 |
| Movement | Selma Voting Rights Movement |
Frederick Douglas Reese (November 28, 1929 – April 5, 2018) was an American civil rights activist, educator and minister from Selma, Alabama. Known as a member of Selma's "Courageous Eight",[1] Reese was the president of the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) when it invited the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. to Selma to amplify the city's local voting rights campaign.[2] This campaign eventually gave birth to the Selma to Montgomery marches, which later led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act.
Reese was also president of the Selma Teachers Association, and in January 1965 he mobilized Selma's teachers to march as a group for their right to vote.[2]
Reese retired from teaching and from February 2015 and until his death in April 2018, he was active as a minister at Selma's Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church.[3]