‘A MAN OF SUCH GREAT WISDOM’
The Rev. Robert Perry, civil rights activist and pastor who met MLK Jr., ‘Daddy King’ and Mandela, retires after 48 years at Stamford’s Union Baptist Church
STAMFORD — Nearly 50 years after becoming Union Baptist Church’s pastor, the Rev. Robert Perry said he is ready for a new venture: retirement.
Over Perry’s decades-long tenure, the church moved from Adams Avenue to Newfield Avenue, underwent and completed a multimillion-dollar construction project, and later burned its mortgage. “After 48 years, I feel as though it’s time,” said Perry, who is 90.
Union Baptist’s congregation has been growing, Perry said, and he expects that to continue. The church was first established in 1888 by a group that included former slaves.
“It’s a very active congre
“It was exciting and very informative meeting them. They were concerned about what I was doing as well as me learning … what they were doing.” The Rev. Robert Perry, pastor of Stamford’s Union Baptist Church, on meeting Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela
gation,” he said. “And there are new members coming in with what appears to be great possibilities and desires to do great things.”
Perry grew up in Virginia, and while his uncle had wanted him to be a physician like him, Perry ultimately followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became a pastor. Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Va., was his congregation before he moved to Stamford in the early 1970s.
Perry was active in the civil rights movement, which led him to meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. Perry recalled once driving King’s father, Martin Luther King, Sr., from Philadelphia to Stamford, where “Daddy King” was set to speak at a church.
“We had quite a number of interesting conversations on the way here,” Perry said.
Years later, in the 1990s, Perry met Nelson Mandela on a trip to South Africa, where Union Baptist funded the building of a church in Whittlesea.
“It was exciting and very informative meeting them,” Perry said, referring to both Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr. “They were concerned about what I was doing as well as me learning … what they were doing.”
Perry has received countless awards for his service, leadership and advocacy for equal rights over the years, including being named one of the most influential Black people in Connecticut by the state NAACP. He has also served on several city boards and commissions, including the Police Commission, Fire Commission and the Board of Ethics.
One of Perry’s daughters, Crystal Holden, noted that her father is also a proud veteran, having served in the Korean War. She said she expects her father will spend some of his time during retirement going on fishing trips and working on writing a book.
“I’ll also have more time to at least reflect on Stamford as I saw it when I first arrived here to the present time,” Perry said. “And because of my experiences, I have an opportunity to see many areas that I believe Stamford could improve.”
State Sen. Patricia Billie Miller, an associate minister at Union Baptist, was baptized and married by Perry. She went on a trip to Africa with him in 2006 — which she said was a “life-changing” experience.
“I came back and quit my job about eight months later because I wanted to be more involved in the community,” Miller said. “So I owe him, I am indebted to him for being the person that I am today.”
She said Perry is a quiet, humble and highly respected man with a passion for social justice who has taught congregants “how important it is to work not only inside the church but outside the church.”
He has been a source of guidance for her throughout her life, she said.
“Each time I’ve made a move, I would go to him for counsel,” Miller said. “I never made a move in changing my life without talking to him about it first because he is a man of such great wisdom.”
She is going to miss Perry greatly, she added.
“I have to redefine myself now without him being there in the church, but I know that I have access to him,” she said.
Mayor David Martin said in a statement that Perry has made “immeasurable contributions” to the city.
“His progressive and dynamic ministry has made him a beloved and irreplaceable blessing to all of us in Stamford, and I wish him the best in his retirement,” Martin said.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who has known Perry for years, described him as “a true public servant.”
“I’m proud to know Rev. Perry as a deeply respected faith community leader, a courageous civil rights leader, and a treasured friend,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “For decades I’ve learned from him, and valued his wisdom.”
“Even if he’s retired — in title — he’ll still be very much a role model,” Blumenthal added.