Dr. Charles Kimbrough, a former president of the Nashville NAACP and a dedicated civil rights leader, has died at the age of 98. A veteran of the Korean War, retired veterinarian, and minister, Kimbrough is remembered by those who knew him as a trailblazer who devoted his life to advocacy and justice.
“You won’t find somebody like him in every church, in every school, in every community,” said Reverend Enoch Fuzz, senior pastor of The Corinthian Church.
Born and raised in Prospect, Tennessee, during the height of Jim Crow, Kimbrough earned a Purple Heart for his military service. He later became one of the first licensed African American veterinarians in Tennessee, breaking barriers in the field.
“He kept the movement alive in Nashville,” Fuzz said. “He was committed to helping poor people, disadvantaged people, people who were oppressed, people who were less educated, [people who had] a class differentiation — Dr. Kimbrough was with everybody. Every person was important to him.”
As president of the NAACP Nashville branch for several years, Kimbrough played a key role in expanding the organization’s reach in Tennessee. A dedicated member of the civil rights movement, he introduced many to the NAACP and its mission.
In a statement to News 2, a representative from Nashville’s mayor’s office reflected on Kimbrough’s lasting impact:
“Dr. Charles Kimbrough served our country with distinction. He earned a Purple Heart, served in Korea, earned his doctorate at Tuskegee, and fought for justice throughout the Civil Rights Movement. He founded multiple NAACP chapters and for seven years served as the president of Nashville’s. All of that speaks to his selfless heart, his volunteer spirit, and his commitment to ensuring he left this world more just than he found it. We are lucky he called Nashville home.”
Earlier this year, the General Assembly honored Kimbrough’s contributions with a resolution recognizing his lifelong dedication to community leadership.
“Dr. Kimbrough devoted his life to working to help all people be on an equal plane. That’s how he saw that America should be,” Fuzz added. “People like that come along rare[ly] in society — people who give their lives.”
