wfn.org | ABCUSA: LEON SULLIVAN DIES

[RICH.SCHRAMM@ecunet.org]

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE 
Office of Communication  
American Baptist Churches USA 
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320 
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director 
 E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

NOTE: Because of WFN's recent technical difficulties,
this communication, originally sent 4/26/01, was not posted.

LEON SULLIVAN, PASTOR AND PROMINENT SOCIAL 
ACTIVIST/REFORMER, DIES
 The Rev. Dr. Leon H. Sullivan, an American Baptist 
pastor and one of the leading spokespersons of his time 
for economic justice and social accountability, died 
Wednesday morning in Scottsdale, Ariz.  He was 78.
  Sullivan pastored Zion Baptist Church in 
Philadelphia for 38 years before retiring in 1988, leading 
that church in a wide range of ministries and outreach 
endeavors and overseeing congregational growth from 
600 to 6,000.
 His commitment to social reform and justice issues 
extended into national and international arenas.  In 1964 
he founded the Opportunities Industrialization Center in 
Philadelphia, which sponsored extensive training and 
retraining of welfare recipients and was the first of its kind 
in the U.S.  The OIC program later expanded into more 
than 140 cities in the U.S. and into a number of countries 
overseas.  
 Active in many civic programs, Sullivan was 
founder of the National Progress Association for Economic 
Development, which supported minority businesses in 
economic development and training.  He served on the 
boards of a number of major corporations and 
organizations, including General Motors, the Boy Scouts of 
America and several large banks.
 One of Sullivan's foremost accomplishments was 
the development of the Sullivan Principles, a set of ethical 
guidelines for American companies doing business in 
South Africa prior to the dismantling of apartheid.  The 
Principles, signed by more than 125 U.S. corporations, 
required racial equality and desegregation in the work 
place, corporate involvement in the South African black 
community and stated opposition to the apartheid system.
 Sullivan abandoned support for those principles 
after a decade in 1987, citing frustration at the South 
African government's lack of progress in dealing with 
issues of racial and economic equality.  "There is no 
greater moral issue in the world today than apartheid," he 
said at that time.  "Apartheid is against the will of God and 
humanity."   
 His vision for equal opportunity and economic 
accountability has been carried on through the Global 
Sullivan Principles, which he promoted internationally as a 
means of assuring economic and ethical business 
procedures.
 Sullivan was the recipient of numerous awards 
and honors in recognition of his ministry and commitment 
to social justice, among them the 1968 Dahlberg Peace 
Award given by the (then) American Baptist Convention.  
Other honors included being named one of the "100 
Outstanding Young Adults in the United States" by Life 
magazine (1963), the establishment of the Leon Howard 
Sullivan Chair in the School of Social Welfare at the 
University of Wisconsin (1976) and the Alexis de 
Tocqueville Society Award of the United Way of America 
(1982). 
 His book Moving Mountains: The Principles and 
Purposes of Leon Sullivan, published by Judson Press in 
1998, recounts his ministry and involvement in social 
advocacy and justice causes.
 Condolences may be sent to his wife, Grace, and 
three children at 810 East Del Rubi Dr., Scottsdale, AZ 
85258.   Services are scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 
1, at First Institutional Baptist Church, 1141 E. Jefferson 
St., Phoenix. 
 Memorial contributions in Leon Sullivan's name 
may be made to the International Foundation for 
Education and Self-Help, 5040 E. Shea Blvd., Suite 260, 
Phoenix, AZ 85254.

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