He turned faith into action.
Rev. Damon Lynch Jr. built a life of service connecting faith, civil rights, and community organizing in Cincinnati. Through ministry and public advocacy, he worked to expand opportunity, challenge discrimination, and bring people together.
Born in Georgia in 1939, Lynch moved to Cincinnati’s Kennedy Heights neighborhood as a child. After graduating from high school, he served in the Marines.
He later became pastor of New Jerusalem Baptist Church and an influential voice in Cincinnati’s Black community.
His activism began during the Civil Rights Movement, when he participated in demonstrations and joined other local leaders in challenging racial discrimination. His commitment to justice became central to both his ministry and his civic work.
Lynch’s advocacy extended beyond demonstrations. He worked for fair housing and served as a trustee of Housing Opportunities Made Equal, an organization dedicated to combating housing discrimination.
Alongside Virginia Coffey and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, he helped establish Cincinnati’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. March.
The march created a public tradition connecting Dr. King’s legacy with the ongoing work of equality and peace. It brought people together around a shared responsibility to continue that work locally.
Lynch supported efforts to establish the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, connecting the history of the struggle for freedom with the city’s civic life.
After the killing of Timothy Thomas and the unrest that followed in 2001, he helped Cincinnati work toward healing.
The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber honored him as a Great Living Cincinnatian in 2010. In 2017, City Council recognized his decades of leadership by naming a section of Cedar Alley “Reverend Damon Lynch Jr. Way.”
His story shows how ministry, public advocacy, and community organizing can work together in the pursuit of justice.
