Joe Mullin, originally a native of Missouri, became an integral figure in Greensboro's religious and civic community, beginning in the 1970s. Mullin attended Westminster College and Louisville Seminary to become a Presbyterian minister. As a minister, Mullin witnessed some of the most turbulent times of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement. The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., spurred Mullin to speak out, organize small protests, and invite integration in his congregations. After his move to the First Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, Mullin continued to pursue integration and racial harmony. Although he was not in the city during the sit-ins, Mullin viewed race relations as very strained in his early years in Greensboro. Mullin has been active in many aspects of Greensboro's civic and community life, including serving on the Chamber of Commerce board of directors and the Rotary Club of Greensboro. Through his position in the church and in the community, Mullin has worked to foster Greensboro's economic and cultural growth, while preaching tolerance and acceptance of all people.
