Reverend L. Charles Stovall
Reverend Leonard Charles Stovall was born on October 7, 1954 in Lexington, Mississippi. Stovall grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended high school, college and seminary school. He gives much credit to his father, the late Reverend Dr. Robert C. Stovall, for his passion in activism and the political struggle in both Atlanta, Georgia and Dallas, Texas. Much of his passion and activism against apartheid comes from his wife, the late Denise Johnson-Stovall, who was a long time response contributor and communicator of the United Methodist Church & Dallas journalist, who wrote much about her experiences in Africa and the struggle against apartheid. Being a former member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, or SCLC, Stovall dealt with political upheaval and issues while in Atlanta and in Dallas.
After receiving much instruction and teaching in Atlanta, Georgia, Stovall moved to Dallas, Texas and worked with individuals, such as Reverend Peter Johnson, John Wolfe and Reverend Dr. Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. in the struggle against apartheid in South Apartheid. Throughout his time in Dallas, Stovall recalls the demonstration of not standing for the American flag due to the call for divestment of all companies and businesses that supported South Africa and apartheid. During the 1980s, Stovall collaborated with the Dallas chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Dallas City Council.
Even after the end of apartheid in 1994, Reverend Stovall continued to advocate for change throughout South Africa and the City of Dallas, in addition to educating others to stand up against the wrongs of the world.