Legendary civil rights leader Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker wanted his legacy to center on educational opportunities for generations to come. The Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker Educational Foundation is the vehicle to perpetuate his lasting dream and provides scholarships for underserved youths to attend college.

Dr. Michael L.W. Moore is the chair of the Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker Educational Foundation.

“The foundation founded in 2015,” says the 31-year-old pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, “is about working and helping to make people‘s lives a lot better. The organization’s mission, message and calling is to make sure young people have the opportunities to prove themselves and advance into higher education, which is what Dr. Walker wanted.”

Dr. Moore was part of the small team that created the foundation.

“Our executive director, Ryan Bell, the visionary, came to me with the idea because we were very touched by Dr. Walker’s life and work in the Civil Rights Movement,” he explains. “I was just one of the cheerleaders.

“We are all members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity along with Dr. Walker. We formed a relationship, which was part of the reason we came up with the idea.”

A native of Brockton, Mass., who earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry and physics from Virginia Union University along with a master’s in divinity, Dr. Walker served as executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and chief of staff to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s.

He was a pastor of Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg from 1953 to 1959 and led many demonstrations and actions to protest segregation. In Petersburg, he founded the Petersburg Improvement Association, which was patterned after the Montgomery Improvement Association that was formed in 1955 in Montgomery, Ala., by black ministers and community leaders.

At the SCLC, Dr. Walker was a chief strategist and organizer for Dr. King, helping to organize the August 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

He left the SCLC in 1964 to become pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church and later Canaan Baptist Church, both in Harlem, before retiring in 2004 and moving to the Richmond area, where he died in January 2018 at age 88. His personal papers are now housed at the University of Richmond.

“Dr. Walker was a strategist,” Dr. Moore says. “He knew how to make things work together and bring people and groups together to create a sense of synergy,” Dr. Moore said.

The foundation is in the process of addressing social justice issues in the community, as well as planning an advocacy and financial education summit for young women.

“Because of the nature of our scholarship program, we reach out to high school seniors,” Dr. Moore says. “However, in some of the community engagement programming, we try to encompass the entire family. We have to make sure that what is done goes back to the families. We are trying to address the myriad of needs families. The better the family, the better the student.”

Two major events are coming up. The foundation’s scholarship fundraiser, Legacy of a Legend Scholarship Luncheon, will honor Richmond Delegate Delores L. McQuinn of Richmond and the late Clarence L. Townes Jr., a longtime business and civic leader and early board member of the Richmond Free Press’ parent company. It will be held 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2, at the University of Richmond.

“Most people are celebrated for their work when they die,” says Dr. Moore. “We hear all of the deceased’s accolades and expressions of love, but now they are in the ground and unable to hear all of the praises.”

Later in the month, the foundation will provide free haircuts and services to Petersburg residents.

“Our hope is that people will continue to see the value of WTWEF and invest in it and our work,” Mr. Moore says.

Meet this week’s Personality and a keeper of the flame of Dr. Walker’s legacy, Dr. Michael L.W. Moore:

Community involvement: Chairman, Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker Educational Foundation. 

Place of birth: Pittsburgh.

Current residence: Henrico County.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in religious studies and philosophy, master’s of divinity and doctor of ministry degree, Virginia Union University. 

Family: Wife, Dr. Christy Moore; son, Michael L.W. Moore II.

Reason for starting the WTWEF: The foundation was birthed out the idea to honor the many contributions and sacrifices of Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker. Originally, the plan was just to host a small breakfast in his honor. In conversations between Dr. Walker, Ryan Bell, now the foundation’s executive director, and myself, the plan was set to establish a foundation to continue his legacy for generations to come.

Foremost mission: The pressing mission is to improve the quality of life for those who are consistently and purposely oppressed by providing resources to increase their capacity to live full, healthy and happy lives.

Why I am excited about this organization: The organization has the opportunity to really make a direct impact on lives. This organizations is not seeking surface-level solutions. We are planning and working on ways to carve out systemic issues we face in society today. That is the work of Dr. Walker. That is the work that excites me.

Services the foundation provides: Currently, scholarships for disadvantaged youths seeking post-secondary education. We also hold an annual Martin Luther King Day of Service, where we feed the community, offer free haircuts for kids and health screenings.

Social justice is important because: It is the most pressing issue of our time. It is imperative that we fight for those who have been stripped of all ability to fight for themselves. This world needs many more people who are committed to helping the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. come to fruition. Not only do we need more initiatives for social justice, we need more of a collaborative effort where people are willing to work together for the common good.

What Dr. Walker’s accomplishments mean to me: Dr. Walker committed his life to developing people. He committed himself to removing barriers that have kept people from becoming all that they can be. The foundation desires to remove obstacles that keep people from being able to better themselves. It is because of his work that I have been able to become who I am today.

How I start the day: With a determination to accept my mistakes, a commitment to walk in my purpose, a resolve to cherish my family and a sensitivity to not abuse my time.

A perfect day for me is: Filled with movies, family, friends and good food.

How I unwind: Going to the movie theater.

A quote that I am inspired by: “If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Best late-night snack: Baked chocolate chip cookies.

Best thing my parents ever taught me: How to love through sacrifice.

Person who influenced me the most: My mother.

What I’m reading now: “The Cross and the Lynching Tree” by James H. Cone.

My next goal: Continue to advance the mission of the foundation and the memory of Dr. Walker.