March 15: Billy Graham Crusade in Chattanooga, TN (1953)
Prayer Idea
Pray for Christians to understand better how our faith affects the way we treat people around us, both as individuals and in society.
History Note
Billy Graham (1918-2018) graduated from Wheaton College in 1943. He became a traveling evangelist the next year. His first large crusade was in Los Angeles, California, in 1949.
Graham spoke across the United States and traveled to Korea to speak to U.S. troops during the Korean War. His early crusades in the southern United States were segregated, with white and black attendees sitting in different sections.
On March 15, 1953, Graham was speaking at a crusade in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He decided that segregating the audience based on the color of their skin was not acceptable. When the usher refused to remove the ropes that were separating the seating areas, Graham removed the ropes himself.
Billy Graham met Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders. Graham spoke out strongly against racism. However, he was critical of attempts to use civil disobedience to change laws. Later in his life, he acknowledged that he could have done more to support civil rights for all Americans.
Each of us is on a journey of learning and growing as we go through life. We should show grace to each other while also challenging each other to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
Billy Graham speaking in Washington, D.C, in 1960. Photo by John T. Bledsoe, courtesy the Library of Congress.
Learn More
This video features Graham describing the 1953 crusade in Chattanooga.
Find more resources about Billy Graham at Homeschool History.
