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C.T. Vivian, a minister and advocate for civil rights who worked with Martin Luther King Jr., died July 17 in Atlanta.

Cordy Tindell Vivian was 95. He died of natural causes, business partner and friend Don Rivers told the Associated Press.

Vivian’s social justice work preceded King’s, as the Missouri native non­violently and successfully protested segregated lunch counters in Peoria, Illi­nois, in 1947. He later became part of King’s ex­ecutive staff at the Southern Christian Leader­ship Conference in Atlanta. He served as president of the SCLC into his late eighties.

John Lewis, the longtime civil rights activist, congressman, and ordained Baptist minister who preached about getting in “good trouble,” died July 17 at the age of 80.

In June, Phil Vischer—creator of VeggieTales and voice of Bob the Tomato in the popular Christian animated series—posted a now viral video called “Race in America” that attempts to answer the question: “Why are people so angry?”

Filled with graphics, photo montages, factoids, and comic asides that make the concept of systemic racism accessible for all ages, the 17-minute tutorial garnered more than 2.8 million views in the first week.

On June 15, Michael L. Mitchell was elected president of the African Meth­odist Episco­pal Coun­cil of Bishops.

A lifelong AME member, Mitchell became a district bishop in 2016 when he was elected to lead the AME’s 12th district, composed of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Pre­viously, he spent 24 years at St. Stephen AME Church in Jacksonville, Florida, his hometown. At St. Stephen, Mitchell oversaw the expansion of various ministries, including the creation of a child care center that served more than 200 children and a business complex to encourage black entrepreneurship.