Rev. Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert (1899-1956): “Father of the Civil Rights Movement in Savannah”

In 1942, Rev. Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert, thirteenth pastor of First African Baptist Church, revived the Savannah branch and founded the Georgia Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) serving as president for both organizations. Gilbert formed the Savannah-based NAACP Youth Council and with his wife, Eloria Gilbert, established over 40 NAACP chapters in Georgia. When Rev. Primus King of Columbus successfully challenged and ended Georgia’s Whites-only primaries in 1946, the Georgia Conference under Gilbert’s leadership used its network to boost Black voter registration. White backlash connected to political campaigns prompted Gilbert to turn his attention to local Savannah politics and eventually step away from the NAACP state and local leadership by 1950. Gilbert’s successor, Westley Wallace (W.W.) Law, founded the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum (1996) in his honor.