When and where you can attend funeral services for Houston civil rights icon Rev. William Lawson

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Funeral services for the late Reverend William A. Lawson, a civil rights icon who was also known as "Houston's pastor" and the founder of Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, are set to begin next week.

Visitation is on May 23 at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, followed by a community service in the evening.
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The final celebration of the reverend's life happens on May 24 at 11 a.m.

Rev. Lawson died Tuesday morning at the age of 95.

He was a father of four, including ABC13's Melanie Lawson, but generations of Houstonians knew him as a preacher and trailblazer for equality.

The beloved pastor worked side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights movement and then founded Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church with his wife Audrey.



The couple was married for 61 years before Audrey's passing in 2015.

Lawson Legacy: How Reverend Bill Lawson became Houston's Pastor

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