Rev. Jesse Nash: Legendary Buffalo Minister

Rev. Nash, was pastor of Michigan Avenue Baptist Church for 61 years, and was Mary B. Talbert’s minister. Nash was a dynamic leader who built a community on Buffalo’s east side. He was one of the few black leaders of the time who respected the principles of Booker T. Washington and counterpart W.E. B DuBois. Nash was also instrumental in founding the Buffalo Branch of NAACP in 1915, the Michigan Avenue YMCA in 1924, and the Buffalo Branch of the National Urban League in 1927.

Rev. Nash was the son of parents born into slavery. He earned legendary status in Buffalo’s African-American community, becoming the most widely known and respected African-American in the city. He called and led community political meetings of black for local black citizens who were unjustly treated because of their race. Rev. Nash’s home at 36 Nash Street, birthplace of the Niagara Movement and where he lived from 1892 to 1953, has been restored and turned into a museum and research center.

Article courtesy of the Buffalo Historical Society