Rev. Dr. J. Alfred Smith Sr., pastor emeritus of Oakland’s historic Allen Temple Baptist Church and a towering figure in Black church leadership, passed on September 19th. Once recognized as one of Ebony Magazine’s “Most Influential Black Americans” and among its Top 15 Greatest Black Preachers of 1993, Smith’s legacy spanned decades as a pastor, scholar, professor, and author of more than sixteen books, including his autobiography, On the Jericho Road. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1930, Smith began preaching as a teenager and went on to serve as senior pastor of Allen Temple from 1971 until his retirement in 2009, leading the congregation in faith, social justice, and community empowerment. He also served as president of both the Progressive National Baptist Convention and the American Baptist Churches of the West, and later as professor emeritus at the American Baptist Seminary of the West.