Reverend Nicholas Hood Sr. was one of Detroit’s most influential faith leaders and activists.

As pastor of Plymouth United Church of Christ and founder of various social programs, he helped reshape the city’s spiritual and civic landscape through a ministry that seamlessly blended the pulpit with public service, leaving behind a legacy of faith in action.

As for his early years, Reverend Nicolas Hood was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1923.

A well-educated man, he graduated from Purdue University and initially worked as a pharmacist before he was called into ministry, attending Yale Divinity School, where he studied the social gospel and the art of using faith in the fight for social justice.

Reverend Hood then returned to Detroit for a position at the Plymouth Congregational Church, later known as the Plymouth United Church of Christ, during a time when Detroit was undergoing its post-war transformation and African Americans were leaving the South and facing extreme discrimination in housing, employment, and education.

In response to these challenges, Reverend Hood made Plymouth a hub for services and activism, a place where Detroiters, especially African Americans, could live decently in apartments and senior housing complexes (Plymouth Square Apartments and Medical Center Courts) constructed by him and his team.

Hood started youth mentorship, education, and poverty relief programs.

He was also a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, marching alongside him at the 1963 Walk to Freedom and then the March on Washington, where King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Hood then served on the Detroit City Council from 1965 to 1993, advocating equal housing laws, civil rights safeguards, and economic opportunity for Black Detroiters.

Reverend Nicholas Hood Jr. lived almost the entire twentieth century, finally passing away in 2016, which led to his son, Rev. Nicholas Hood III, inheriting Plymouth and working hard to continue his legacy of community based leadership.

Today, his institutions, which include housing, social programs, and churches, are still the heartbeat of Detroit civic life, proving the Black church can be both a spiritual anchor and strong civic engine.

For Detroiters, Reverend Hood was more than a minister.

He was a builder, a voice for the weak, and above all else… a change maker whose ministry forever transformed the lives of everyone he touched.

Victoria Jackson (Editor In Chief)

Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends. With her finger firmly on the pulse of both the city’s vibrant past and its rapidly unfolding future, she brings a deeply personal, historically grounded lens to every piece she writes.

Published on: September 3, 2025