Charles Octavius Boothe, 1845 – 1924

Charles Octavius Boothe, 1845 – 1924

Preacher, Educator, Author & Advocate

Charles Octavius Boothe was born into slavery in Mobile County, Alabama, on June 13, 1845. He began reading at 3 years old and from a young age, growing up African American Baptist faith, he studied the Bible.

In addition to writing for the Baptist Pioneer, Boothe wrote two significant works: The Cyclopedia of the Colored Baptists of Alabama, which documented the efforts of African American Baptists in Alabama, and Plain Theology for Plain People, which offered easy-to-read, simplified explanations of religious concepts for Baptist ministers and church members.

Boothe also worked as a teacher in the Montgomery public school system and was passionate about providing education and literacy for African Americans so that they could achieve social advancements.

In addition to being an author and educator, Charles Octavius Boothe also established and pastored two churches following the Civil War: the First Colored Baptist Church in Meridian, Miss., and Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala., where civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. pastored in the mid-20th century.

“Boothe offers a window into an underexplored vista of theological expression, and offers black evangelicals a deep sense of belonging in a tradition that has historically overlooked their voice” – Walter Strickland