ROCHESTER, N.Y. — If Rochester had a Mt. Rushmore, Minister Franklin Florence would grace it. As a civil rights leader, he drove change that a new generation still stands for today.

The longtime clergyman died on Wednesday. Now, one of Minister Florence's oldest friends is sharing his legacy.

“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said was anything that is not worth dying for, is not worth living for," said Rev. Dr. Dwight Fowler. "Minister Franklin Florence Sr. was the epitome of courage.”

Fowler met Minister Florence when he was just 12 years old. He left an immediate mark.

“Mr. Franklin Florence, literally, he's played a pivotal role of me being involved in activism," said Fowler.

Florence was born in the south and moved to Rochester in 1959. He founded the Central Church of Christ, which is now located on South Plymouth Avenue. His life was dedicated to social justice as he rose to nationwide prominence in the 1960s — a time when racial tensions in the fight for Black civil rights erupted into days of rioting. However, Florence was known for his measured, behind-the-scenes approach to fighting for equal rights for African Americans, as well as housing, feeding and clothing the poor.

“Minister Franklin Florence really loved God, and if you really look at his legacy, you will see that the things that he did were keeping in harmony with the doctrines and principles of Christ," Fowler said.

A mural on the wall at East High School shows Florence in 1965 with Constance Mitchell and Malcolm X, just five days before the civil rights activist was assassinated. Fowler said Franklin knew that his own fight for justice might come with peril.

“A movement calls for sacrifice, and from a literal perspective, if one would look at the legacy of Minister Franklin Florence senior, they will see that his life was indeed a literal sacrifice," Fowler said.

Even in his later years, minister Florence stood up to the system when he felt it was needed. He did so in 2008 when a protest over what some saw as a flawed process to choose a Monroe County public defender resulted in his arrest.  

“If you run with God, God will run with you," said Fowler.

Fowler recalls those words, which Florence recited often. 

Minister Franklin Florence was 88.

“What he did, did not allow fear to hinder him from moving forward and courage was something that he put on exhibition," said Fowler.