In an era where city leaders don’t challenge the Fraternal Order of Police, banks, or big businesses, people like Reverend Mozel Sanders are necessary beacons of hope. For many of those who even know of Sanders, they likely only know of him as a Good Samaritan who fed the homeless—in reality, he was a bold community organizer who fought on countless fronts for the city’s poor and oppressed.
Sanders confronted head-on the exploitation of workers and the oppression of Black people and other marginalized groups. In 1968, two cops brutally beat Rev. Kenneth Ward, the then-pastor at First Baptist Church of Noblesville. Unwilling to let this abuse stand, Sanders organized 50 Black men to storm Mayor Richard Lugar’s office and the Office of the Chief of Police to get justice. They successfully negotiated the suspension of the two cops. “This is the first time in 30 years white police officers have been disciplined for abusing a Negro,” a veteran civil rights leader at the time recalled.
A life of courage and compassion
Born on May 24, 1924, in East St. Louis, Illinois, Mozel Sanders’ journey was marked by hardship and determination. After losing his father, he and his mother moved to Canton, Mississippi, during the Great Depression. Sanders later joined the New Deal Civilian Conservation Corps, a program that instilled in him the values of hard work and service.
In 1945, Sanders made Indianapolis his home, where he would leave a lasting influence beyond his death in 1988. By day, he worked in a foundry; by night, he sang in the church choir. His dedication to his community soon led him to the pulpit of Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church in Haughville. Under his leadership, the congregation grew from just 20 members to 600 by the late 1960s—a testament to his ability to inspire and unite.
Fighting for justice
Sanders stood firm against systemic racism. In 1959, Sanders witnessed police provoke a fatal altercation between two men at a bus terminal. Sanders reported to the press that one cop struck David Carbon, a Black man, with his fist, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head on the concrete. Carbon later died at General Hospital from his injuries. However, the cops recorded that the officer struck Carbon to break up a fight. Sanders stood up to this edit to the official statement from a law enforcement officer. At this time, the NAACP sued the city of Indianapolis because of the heightened police brutality unleashed on the Black community.
Despite threats, he refused to stay silent, publicly countering the officers’ false account. When asked about consequences he might face as a result in countering the official word of law enforcement, Sanders said, “I’m not worrying about what they’ll do to me.” His bravery echoed the spirit of the civil rights movement, which he actively supported by marching alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Birmingham, and Washington.
Building a better community
Sanders’ vision extended beyond protests to boycotts to popular education. He founded the Fair Share Organization, pressuring local businesses to hire Black workers in neighborhoods where they were the primary clientele. His efforts bore fruit when Haughville Supermarket became the first to meet this demand.
As chairman of the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), Sanders created employment programs for those battling addiction and poverty. He also fought for fair treatment of families displaced by the construction of I-65, ensuring they received just compensation for their homes.
A legacy of love and service
Sanders is widely known for his annual event serving Thanksgiving meals to the hungry. What began in 1974 as a humble effort to feed 20 people grew by 1987 into a monumental event serving 16,000, thanks to the dedication of over 200 volunteers. Today, the Mozel Sanders Foundation continues this tradition, providing meals to 40,000 people annually and delivering groceries to those in need.
A call to continue the work
Sanders’ organizing was necessary for his neighborhood to survive and strengthen the community’s resilience to oppression. Yet, far too many people are subject to the unresolved racism and discrimination written into city code and policy to this day. In a truly democratic and representative society, people like Sanders—those who are willing to fight for the needs of the masses—would be popularly voted into positions of political leadership. In fact, Sanders launched a campaign to run for City Council in April 1967.
Rev. William Dennis once said of Sanders, “He has fought for jobs for our people. He has marched and picketed for equal opportunities, and he has fought harder than anyone else for the thousands displaced by highways and construction. Rev. Sanders deserves the support of all Indianapolis.”
Though Sanders never won a City Council seat, his life reminds us that the fight for justice is necessary to give future generations a chance to thrive. While our current city leaders continue the problems around poverty, housing, education, and public health, Sanders organized the community to come together and address those problems head-on. Without any political power, organizing our communities is necessary to advance our interests as poor and oppressed people. Sanders’ legacy lives on in organizations like Cultivate and Hope Packages, which provides political direct aid to those in need, proving that a better world is possible when we stand together.
As we celebrate Mozel Sanders’ 101st birthday, let us draw inspiration from his courage, compassion, and unwavering belief in the power of community. His story is a call to action—a reminder that each of us has a role to play in building a more just and liberated world.
Featured photo: Mozel Sanders imposed on Indianapolis Recorder headlines. Photos from the Indianapolis Recorder digital archive collection.