Lewis V. Baldwin

Lewis V. Baldwin was born in the segregated black belt of Camden, Alabama, in 1949. He participated in civil rights demonstrations while a junior and senior at Camden Academy High School. Baldwin heard Martin Luther King, Jr. speak at the Antioch Baptist Church in his hometown during the demonstrations in early 1966. The inspiration Baldwin received from Dr. King, local civil rights leaders, teachers, fellow student activists, and the movement led him to attend college, seminary, and graduate school and ultimately contribute to humanity's enlightenment and uplift through teaching, research, and scholarship.

Baldwin is professor emeritus of religious studies at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. He is the author of There Is a Balm in Gilead: The Cultural Roots of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1991); To Make the Wounded Whole: The Cultural Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. (1992); and Never to Leave Us Alone: The Prayer Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. (2010).