Didn’t King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church become a stage for both gospel legends and civil rights giants? Founded in 1926 by Reverend Moses Williams King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church first held services on Rivard Street in Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood. For years the church moved. It finally settled at Alexandrine and Riopelle Streets in 1929.
In March 1944 Dr. Theodore S. Boone became pastor. He was a black author historian and poet. Under Boone’s leadership new organizations arose. These included a Boy Scout Troop vacation bible school an orchestra and religious education. The congregation grew. Members started moving into Northwest Goldberg. This is where Temple Baptist was located. King Solomon started looking for a new location. The Delmar church was too small.
Temple Baptist had over 3300 members by 1951. Their 14th Avenue buildings could no longer hold everyone. More people owned cars. Parking was difficult. In 1943 Temple Baptist bought land on Grand River for outdoor revivals. Many members moved to that area. Temple decided to build a new church there in 1951.
King Solomon sought a new location. Temple wanted to sell. The two Baptist churches crossed paths. One was white and segregated. The other was almost entirely black. In 1952 King Solomon bought the 14th Avenue properties for $325000. They moved in when Temple Baptist finished their new church.
King Solomon Baptist Church gained a large black-owned auditorium on November 25 1951. Reverend Boone soon oversaw a flock of over 1000 members. Sunday school services continued across the street. It also served as a community center. Youth outreach programs had classes a roller-skating rink and a boxing program. Thomas “The Hitman” Hearns started at King Solomon. He won the National Golden Gloves award in 1977. Poet Margaret Danner founded the Boone House. It was a poetry and culture center named for Reverend Boone. Dudley Randall and Langston Hughes visited.
King Solomon became a gospel music center. The Reverend James Cleveland the Five Blind Boys and The Clouds of Joy performed there. Berry Gordy heard three young singers at the church in the 1960s. He signed them. Mary Wilson Florence Ballard and Diana Ross became The Supremes. In 1968 the Gospel Music Workshop of America was founded at King Solomon. Over 3000 people attended its first meeting.
The 5000-seat auditorium helped King Solomon Baptist play a major role in the civil rights movement. Speakers addressed large audiences. In 1954 Thurgood Marshall spoke at the church. This followed the NAACP’s victory in Brown V. Board of Education. In 1956 US Representative Charles Diggs gave a radio address about Emmett Till’s murder.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at King Solomon twice. First in 1958 at the National Baptist Convention of America meeting. Second in 1963 at the National Baptist Congress meeting. He had just given his “I have a dream” speech. Over 10000 people attended the conference. King commemorated the 100th anniversary of the emancipation proclamation.
King Solomon Baptist hosted Malcolm X. He gave his “Message to the grass roots” speech in 1963. It criticized the non-violent civil rights movement. Malcolm X gave his “The Ballot or the Bullet” speech at King Solomon in 1964. He encouraged blacks to unite and resist oppression.
King Solomon is alive and well today. It has growing membership and many community programs. The current pastor is the Rev. Charles E. Williams II. King Solomon’s mission is to revitalize the church community and spirit. They empower the lost through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Remember King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church. It stands as a testament to faith community and the pursuit of equality.