Charles D Martin

The Reverend Dr. Charles Douglas (C.D.) Martin (November 7, 1873 — March 1942) was a West Indian Moravian minister. He was born in St. Kitts, British West Indies to parents Joseph and Adriana Martin. He founded the Fourth Moravian Church in Harlem, New York in 1903. It was located at 124 West 136th Street, Manhattan. He called the church "Beth-Tphillah" which is Hebrew for House of Prayer. He presided over the church from July 1908 until his death in March 1942. The gathering of thousands of Negroes, marching in silent protest, on a hot July day, made national news and set the model for other protests to follow.

Martin penned the call to action encouraging "people of African descent" to join for the parade. white and black alike. In the wake of recent atrocities such as occurred in Waco, Memphis, East St. Louis and with the U.S. occupation in Haiti in mind, he wrote in part, describing "Why We March":