Early life Of
African American heritage, Hall was raised in
Philadelphia, the daughter of Berkeley L Hall and Ruby Hall, née Johnson. Her father founded Mount Sharon Baptist Church, an inner-city congregation in an under-served area of the city. Her father was a
Baptist preacher and a passionate advocate for racial justice, Prathia believed she was brought into the world for a reason – to integrate religion and freedom together. Her leadership potential was recognized early. She credited many groups, such as the
National Conference of Christians and Jews for singling her out and helping her to develop. This was her first experience of dehumanizing discrimination.
Civil rights involvement By her mid-teens, Hall hoped to join the Civil Rights Movement. After graduating from high school, she attended
Temple University, located in Philadelphia, not far from her home. In 1961, while still a junior at Temple, Hall was arrested in
Annapolis, Maryland, for participating in the anti-segregation protests on Maryland's rural Eastern Shore. She was held without bail in jail for two weeks. After graduating from Temple with a degree in political science, Hall joined the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); she worked with
Charles Sherrod in
Southwest Georgia. She became one of the first women field leaders in southwest Georgia. Hall later worked in
Terrell County, Georgia, known as "Terrible Terrell County." because of its violence against civil rights activists. African Americans who attempted to register to vote would end up missing or dead. On September 6, 1962,
night riders fired into the home where Hall and other activists were staying, wounding her, Jack Chatfield, and Christopher Allen. She became involved in the
Albany Movement. She became known for her oratorical power, which she expressed in movement meetings and preaching.
"I Have A Dream" In September 1962, Hall agreed to participate in a service commemorating Mount Olive Baptist in Terrell County, which had been burned to the ground by the
Ku Klux Klan. It had been a center for voter registration and for other mass meetings in the county among African Americans. The service was attended by
Martin Luther King Jr. and
SCLCs strategist
James Bevel. Hall was scheduled to deliver a prayer during the service. According to Bevel, "As she prayed, she spontaneously uttered and rhythmically repeated an inspiring phrase that captured her vision for the future-'I have a dream'". Bevel claims that her use of this memorable phrase is what inspired King to begin to use it as a fixture in his sermons.
Selma, Alabama Hall was called to
Selma, Alabama in the winter of 1963 after SNCC field secretary
Bernard Lafayette was beaten and jailed there in relation to demonstrations for voter registration. There were numerous instances of brutality. The violence became too much for Hall after the events of
Bloody Sunday on March 7, 1965, when marchers intending to go to the state capital were beaten on a bridge just outside the city. Hall suffered a theological crisis related to these events. She resigned from SNCC in 1966 after the organization began to shift away from supporting
nonviolence. She later had some chronic issues, suffering from pain due to injury in an old accident. This ultimately contributed to her death many years later. She was a
visiting scholar at the
Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. She later joined the faculty at the
Boston University School of Theology, holding the Martin Luther King Chair in Social Ethics. Her work focused on
womanist theology and
ethics. Hall was well known for being a compelling speaker and preacher. In 1997,
Ebony magazine named Hall as number one on their list of "Top 15 Greatest Black Women Preachers". She remained active in her role in the until her death in 2002 after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 62. ==Quotations about Hall==