Boise Kimber facts for kids

Boise Kimber was born on February 9, 1959. He is an American Baptist minister and a civil rights activist. He works as a pastor at First Calvary Baptist churches in New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut. He is also the president of the National Baptist Convention of the United States of America.

Early Life and Education

Boise Kimber was born in 1959 in Phenix City, Alabama. His parents were Milburn and Ruthie Kimber. He was the middle child of three. He went to local schools and finished high school at Central High School. He grew up in the Baptist Church and started preaching when he was 15 years old.

In 1981, Kimber finished his first college degree at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Later, in 1997, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in Religious Life from Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut. In May 2001, he completed his Doctorate Degree in Ministry at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. His special project for his doctorate was about helping local church groups understand and work for social justice.

Community Leadership and Activism

In Connecticut, Boise Kimber is known as an important leader in the Black community. He has held many roles, including:

• President emeritus of the Greater New Haven Clergy Association.
• An advisor for the office of Multicultural Affairs at Southern Connecticut State University.
• A Fire Commissioner for the City of New Haven.
• A director for Aids Interfaith Network, Inc.
• An advisor to local labor unions.
• A member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

In 2001, Kimber attended a special lunch with government leaders and other ministers. They talked about how to make Black and city communities stronger. They also discussed the important role of churches and families in reaching this goal.

Kimber used to be the chairman of the New Haven Fire Commission. In 2012, he welcomed Al Sharpton to a rally to encourage people to vote.

Kimber also served as president of the Connecticut Missionary Baptist State Convention. In 2013, he was a candidate for president of the National Baptist Convention, USA. This is the oldest and largest African-American religious group in the nation.

While speaking to a group in Louisiana in November 2013, Kimber said that leaders must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. He emphasized the need to have a voice for people who are treated unfairly.

In July 2013, Kimber led a group of religious and community organizations in a "Justice for Trayvon" event. They wanted the government to look into civil rights issues related to the case. Kimber stated that young Black and Brown Americans should feel that the justice system works for them.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Kimber led a prayer service with Al Sharpton. This service was for the victims and survivors of the tragedy. Kimber said that their pain was shared by others. He also asked communities across the country to work together with government leaders to address what was happening.

In 2014, Kimber worked with a local business person to start a $1 million loan program for churches in cities. They also held job fairs in churches across Connecticut.

Kimber was honored at the National Action Network's national meeting for his service. Former President Barack Obama gave a speech there about protecting voting rights.

In 2015, he became the president of the National Baptist Convention, USA.

Ricci v. DeStefano Supreme Court Case

In 2004, when Boise Kimber was Chairman of the New Haven Fire Commission, he and other members decided to set aside the results of a firefighter promotion test. This was because no Black firefighters scored high enough to be promoted to the available positions. If the test results were used, white and Latino firefighters would have been promoted. Twenty firefighters who did well on the test sued the city because of this decision.

In 2009, the Supreme Court heard the case, called Ricci v. DeStefano. Justice Samuel Alito mentioned Kimber in his opinion, suggesting that Kimber's decision was based on political reasons. This brought Kimber into the center of public attention.

Helping the Community

In 2016, Don Vaccaro and Reverend Kimber started Grace Church Websites. This is a non-profit group that helps local churches and other non-profit groups in the New Haven area. They offer free website services, including:

• Registering website names.
• Keeping websites updated.
• Renewing website names each year.
• Providing tools to manage website content.
• Hosting websites online.

Since February 2016, this company has helped more than 600 churches and non-profit groups create free websites.