It’s easy to get swept up in the Rev. J.C. Pritchett II’s zeal for boosting the legacy of his African-American forebears.
He’s determined not to squander their sacrifices for fairness and equality, nor their struggles to build a foundation of security for their families and community.
Pritchett is a pastor, so one would expect that he’s a praying man, open to the unexpected. Providence, he calls it. That’s how he explains the whirlwind purchase of a piece of property on 22nd Street S, the historic African-American business and entertainment district known as the Deuces and the focus of increased revitalization efforts.
As president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, Pritchett says he just happened to be walking out of the organization’s new rental office when he saw a for sale sign going up nearby. He hurriedly called the IMA board and within an hour, they had made an offer on the property at 800 22nd St. S.
