ORLANDO, Fla. — Father Nelson Pinder has passed away, according to sources.
Pinder was known in the community as the father of the Orlando civil rights movement.
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Last year, Vanessa Echols had a rare opportunity to speak with him for a special Black History Month report.
Pinder became the first full-time priest of color at the Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist in Orlando.
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He was also front and center during the civil rights movement, organizing sit-ins at lunch counters that refused to serve Black customers.
Pinder is credited with building bridges during the civil rights movement preventing violence from erupting in Orlando, like it did in other cities during that time.
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His passing was announced during service Sunday morning at the Episcopal Church of Saint John.
He would’ve turned 90 years old on July 19.
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