NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Civil Rights icon and Nashville native Vencen Horsley has died.
Horsley participated in sit-ins and fought against discrimination during the Civil Rights Movement.
"Not only was discrimination reality, but was also legal," Horsley told NewsChannel 5 in 2017. He shared that he started participating in marches and sit-ins when he was just 17-years-old.
"I was arrested seven or eight times."
He and Nikki Giovanni — another Tennessee native and Civil Rights pioneer — both have died in the same week.
Pastor Breonus Mitchell of Mount Gilead Baptist Church says Horsley was a faithful member to his community and the Lord.
“Every Sunday, we were blessed to have someone great among us, but like Jesus, he was a servant,” said Mitchell. “When I would preach, and get to the climax of the sermon, Brother Horsley would leave his seat and walk all the way down front to stand at the pulpit every Sunday. This was his seat every Sunday.”
Horsley’s dedication to the church and to serving others was unwavering. Pastor Mitchell shared that Horsley’s presence reminded him that service doesn’t only happen on Sundays but every day.
"His memory won't be lost in this church,” Mitchell said. “We have the scholarship and other things we’ll do to always remember Brother Horsley and his seat right here.”
Vencen Horsley was not just a civil rights activist; he was a true believer in his faith and his community, always striving to help the next generation. As Mitchell put it, "Yesterday, he heard the words, ‘Well done, not did well, but well done.’”
Mount Gilead Baptist Church even started a scholarship in Horsley's honor last year for students wanting to study political science.
"For 60 years, Vencen Horsley put his energy into making Nashville a better place, and we are undoubtedly better off because he called Nashville home," Mayor Freddie O'Connell said. "His work from the Civil Rights movement of the '60s to his later days when he called Hermitage home is historic. My hope is losing both Vencen and fellow Civil Rights leader Nikki Giovanni in the same week reminds all of us to redouble our efforts to realize a more just city."
Back in 2017, Horsley was instrumental in helping the city put up its witness walls as a part of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. The artwork is outside of the Davidson County Courthouse. At the time, Horsley said it felt like an odd sentiment to simply call it art.
"Sometimes when I used the term 'artwork,' that doesn't seem strong enough. This is history," Horsley said.
Saddened today to learn about the loss of Mr. Vencen Horsley, who was part of Nashville's historic sit-ins. While his legacy was in the civil rights movement I knew him as a friend and neighbor who always had an encouraging word to share. 💔 https://t.co/UYClMqxUSD
— Erin Evans (@Erinfor12) December 12, 2024
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