St. Philip’s Cathedral

ESCRU’s focus shifted to the connection between the Lovett School and St. Philip’s Cathedral. In the spring of 1965, as the school was preparing for its Baccalaureate Service to be held at St. Philip’s, the Rev. Henri Stines issued a statement to the members of ESCRU calling for a protest of the service. In response, a group of about thirty clergy and laity marched along the road beside the Church on May 30, 1965. Malcolm Peabody, the President of ESCRU, attached a statement to the church door explaining the presence of the protesters. As it was quickly torn down, Peabody posted another statement, likening the act to Martin Luther’s protest against the Church’s abuse of power and position.

The protest failed to attract sufficient attention and community support. Neither the School nor the Cathedral changed the policy. ESCRU did not stand down, however, and the following year they protested again, but in a different manner. The Wednesday before the Baccalaureate Service two ministers, Reverends Robert Hunter and Albert Dreisbach, gathered in the cathedral and participated in a ninety-eight hour fast. Their actions received more publicity for ESCRU and its cause than the protest the previous year.

Resolution

It took four years of protests and publicity before the Lovett School amended its admission policy to allow for the matriculation of African American students.