Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan

Tribute to Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan by artist Cliff Eubanks was located in the Tioga neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Reverend Dr. Leon Howard Sullivan was a champion of human rights for more than five decades. He was born in segregated Charleston, West Virginia.

Reverend Sullivan pastured churches in West Virginia, New Jersey, and New York City before accepting a position with Zion Baptist Church in Philadelphia in 1950, where he served for 38 years. It was from this pulpit that he launched his fight for equal rights. Under his leadership in the 1960’s, Reverend Sullivan rallied the religion community to boycott Philadelphia businesses that didn’t employ African American men and women.

The creation of Opportunities Industrializing Center (OIC)) was his answer to providing job readiness skills for underprivileged people of all races, ages, and genders. The OIC now operates in 75 centers in the U.S. and 46 centers in 17 other nations. He organized Progress Investment Associates to establish businesses owned by African Americans. The Zion Non Profit Charitable Trust was founded to fund housing, shopping centers, human services, educational and other non-profit ventures for residents in the city.

He changed the face of corporate America by becoming the first African American to serve on the board of directors of General Motors. Reverend Sullivan expanded his vision to the international realm through five African/African American Summits, which brought corporate leaders and African Heads of States together to discuss the economic, political, and social issues affecting the Continent of Africa. The Sullivan Principles of Social Responsibility are a code conduct for corporations operating in South Africa. These principles were later expanded to become the Global Sullivan Principles for Education and Self Help that supports the training of 100,000 farmers and workings in sub-Sahara Africa to become literate each year.

Reverend Sullivan authored several books. He died in April of 2001.

Location Note: Mural no longer on view at this location (lost to construction in 2003, replaced with reenvisioned mural in 2004 at 1445 Venango Street).