Oscar Haynes, 98, Civil Rights Activist and Community Leader, Dies

Oscar Haynes, a prominent civil rights activist and community leader, passed away on July 31 at his home in Herndon. He was 98 years old. Haynes was the husband of Joan Bell-Haynes, pastor of United Christian Parish.

Born on January 18, 1916, in Rogersville, Tennessee, Haynes was the only child of Oscar and Nannie Bradley Haynes. After graduating from Swift Memorial Junior College, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he joined Twelfth Street Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He later attended Howard University and Tuskegee Institute before being drafted into the military during World War II, serving in Tampa, Florida, India-Burma, and Kearns, Utah.

Following his military service, Haynes became a journalist with the Afro American Newspapers. He was part of a team that conducted investigative reporting on the Martinsville 7 Trail in Virginia. He was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement in Washington, D.C., participating in sit-ins at the bus station and local restaurants. He also attended the March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Haynes held several leadership roles, including president of the Capital Press Club in Washington, D.C., the National Convocation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and the Board of Managers of Greenwood Cemeteries in Nashville, Tennessee. During his presidency of the Capital Press Club, he presented President Harry S. Truman with an award for desegregating the military.

As a businessman, Haynes served as State & Regional Manager for Fromm & Sichel/Christian Brothers Wines & Brandy. He established partnerships with the State Department to expand the sale of American wines internationally. Upon his retirement in 1984, the company was sold in 28 nations.

Haynes was also active in various boards and organizations, including the Thurgood Marshall Community Center, the National City Christian Church Foundation, the Christian Church – Capital Area Region, the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Lexington Theological Seminary, the United Campus Ministry Board at the University of Maryland, and the Reston Community Orchestra.

Throughout his life, Haynes received numerous honors, including the John James Audubon Medal from the Audubon Naturalist Society, the Public Service Award from the YMCA in Washington, D.C., and the Liberation Award from the National Convocation of the Christian Church in 1998. In 2008, the Disciples Historical Society in Nashville, Tennessee, named an exhibit hall in his honor.

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