Pastor Early G. Waller

Every February for the past 44 years, the United States has celebrated the achievements of African Americans during Black History Month. Although the origin of Black History Month actually begins several decades before President Gerald Ford officially recognized it in 1976, each February continues to honor the contributions of African Americans through a specific theme.

Recent controversy regarding immigration and the United States’ southern border continues to loom large in the national consciousness, but this year’s Black History Month theme asks Americans to recall a time in our not-too-distant past when a large group of people — American citizens — struggled to migrate northward. “Black migrations,” this year’s theme, honors the many people who moved from the farms of the South to pursue opportunities in the industrialized Northeast and Midwest, “from poverty to the national stage in business, politics, literature and the arts” during the mid 20th century.

Few local residents embody the tenacity, courage and selfless service that this year’s theme evokes like Pastor Early G. Waller, who will be recognized this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at his Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 18 E. Second St. in Dunkirk.

Waller was born in the rural town of Okoloina, Miss., in 1944, which was entrenched in segregation. He attended an all-black school, where he and his classmates used textbooks that local all-white schools had used the year before.

Childhood experiences as common as going to the movies or eating out were dictated by skin color, as Waller, like the other black children, had to sit in the movie theater balcony and enter restaurants through the back door.

As a high school student, Waller had asked his uncle, Dunkirk resident Dave Gates, to take him to Dunkirk after graduation. Not long after graduation, a bus ticket arrived in the mail for Waller, who joined his uncle in Dunkirk and started a brand new life. Prior to the long bus ride from Okoloina to Dunkirk, Waller had never traveled more than 50 miles away from his home.

Despite the fresh start, life in Dunkirk was not without its challenges for Waller. He worked at Red Wing, Welch’s and Dunkirk Radiator, as well as A. Sam & Sons. Every day, he walked more than three miles to the produce company, until he had saved enough money for a car.

Following employment at A. Sam & Sons, Waller worked at AL Tech Specialty Steel until his retirement. At the time of his hiring, Waller was one of two black employees at the steel plant.

As a young man, Waller became involved in the local chapter of the National Advancement Association of Colored People (NAACP), where he realized there were many problems in Dunkirk regarding its black citizens. Waller ran for chapter president and won; under his leadership, NAACP chapter members began meeting with businesses throughout the city to get more jobs for black men and women at places such as Purina, which only had one black employee.

Waller’s leadership also made it possible for Dunkirk’s black residents to live in other areas of the city. He helped bring a lawsuit against the city of Dunkirk and, with the help of the Department of Justice, was able to get affordable housing built throughout the city. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stopped all funds to the city until leaders agreed to build public housing throughout the city, not just certain areas. In fact, Smith Court, which is located on Lake Shore Drive, West, is named for one of the persons in that lawsuit, Ethel May Smith.

Under Waller’s leadership, the NAACP chapter received multiple awards including the Effie Gordon Award for Excellence in Achievement and the NAACP Thalheimer Award for Outstanding Program Activities, which was presented at the NAACP annual conference.

Waller’s devotion to the community extends beyond his involvement with the NAACP. Under the guidance of Pastor E.B. Barnes and through Bible correspondence courses out of Buffalo, Waller became an ordained minister and currently serves at the helm of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, which he helped build several years ago. Over the years, Waller has preached at the Chautauqua County Jail, was Dunkirk’s first black store owner and assisted in the planning of Martin Luther King, Jr. Park — all while raising a large family with his wife of more than 40 years, Betty.

In 1963, Waller met Betty, who moved to Silver Creek from Georgia with her parents and siblings in 1952. They were married in 1965 and together raised four sons and a niece and nephew. The Wallers are currently raising three more children whom they adopted after serving as their foster parents for several years. Adopted son Lee and daughters Morrigan and Bella are now 14, 17 and 7 years old respectively. “They are doing so good,” said Betty. “They are just delightful children.”

Eldest son Ricky joined the Navy after college and now lives in Alabama with his wife, Keyonna, and family. He currently works as a laboratory supervisor at the VA medication center. Douglas, their second son, joined the Army after graduation and retired after more than 22 years of service as sergeant first class. He and his wife, Kisha, live in South Carolina, where he works as a legal administrator specialist for the VA. Their third son, Earlie, is a retired sergeant first class; he, his wife Retta and their children live in Texas, where Earlie is a police officer at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Their fourth son, Jason, moved to Michigan following college graduation and lives there with his sons and manages Jersey Mike’s. Their niece, April Conde, is a business owner in Rochester, and their nephew, Ryan Waller, is a retired Army sergeant who now works for the Western New York Developmental Disabilities State Operations Office.

Although the congregation of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church has celebrated Black History Month each February for several years, Betty told the OBSERVER that this is the first year they have formally announced the celebration and shared it in the newspaper. “Everyone is welcome to attend,” Betty said. The service, which begins at 3:30 p.m., includes speakers honoring Waller, music by a local gospel group and the church’s choir, followed by a reception with light refreshments downstairs. For more information, contact Friendship Missionary Baptist Church at 366-7272.