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Rev. Nicholas Hood Sr.
Rev. Nicholas Hood Sr, a religious leader in the community who graduated form Yale University Divinity School in 1949, and went on to serve on the Detroit City Council for 28 years, died on Sunday. He was 91.
His son Steve Hood, a political commentator and TV and radio personality, posted on Facebook:
Nicholas Hood Sr. June 21st 1924 - April 10th 2016. Rest In Peace.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
After graduating Yale, he began his ministry in New Orleans as a senior minister of Central Congregational Church. During his nine years that he pastored in New Orleans, he was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Council, with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as leader, according to his bio on the Plymouth United Church of Christ in Detroit.
For 27 years, from 1958‑1985, he was the senior minister of Plymouth United Church of Christ on East Warren in Detroit.
He was elected to the Detroit City Council in 1965 and served for 28 years, leaving the council in 1993.
On Monday morning, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan issued a statement:
"Rev. Hood was a dedicated servant of his God and of his city and was a true icon of social justice. Everything he strived for and achieved as civil rights leader, a minister and an honorable member of City Council was for the sole purpose of lifting up the people of Detroit. Above all, Rev. Hood was a great family man and I am sure his family will continue his legacy."
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans stated:
"I will always admire Rev. Nicholas Hood Sr. for his political courage. He vigorously fought against discrimination; rallied the community to support the disadvantaged and created new opportunities for people displaced by urban renewal. Rev. Hood's activism helped to shape the landscape of leadership in the City of Detroit. My heart and thoughts go out to his family, as they have been so instrumental in continuing the legacy of this revered community leader."
