By Dan Chapman, Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Rev. James Orange has taken off his marching boots and gone home to the Lord.
The bear of a man who organized marches and workers for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and, later, for trade unions, was lionized by the civil rights movement’s dwindling band of leaders and others during a four-hour service Saturday in King International Chapel at Morehouse College.
Orange, described as "a courageous leader for our struggle for racial justice and equality," by Christine King Farris, the Rev. King's sister, was born in Birmingham and lived in southwest Atlanta. He died Feb. 16 at age 65 at Emory Crawford Long Hospital.
In between, Orange's behind-the-scenes yet powerful presence was felt in Selma; Memphis; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Albany, and South Africa.
"Hey leader" was both a greeting and rallying cry that Orange used to imbue a sense of purpose and responsibility into every person he met.
Leaders must serve, after all, and none performed like Orange, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) said in an emotional tribute.
"He was a pillar of the modern-day civil rights movement, this good and decent man, this honorable brother," said Lewis, consoled by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin after his talk. "He was a man of raw courage. James Orange was never missing in action."
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