Richard R. Miles was known as a simple man who “went around doing good.” Raised as a sharecropper’s son, he was a Christian who believed in justice, freedom and individual rights. He spent his life working with the Rose Hill Baptist Church and its many auxiliaries while making a living with the City’s Transportation Department and as an insurance agent.
Through the years, he held virtually every leadership position in his Church and extended his work to Phenix City where he worked for economical housing for young soldiers and for youth in Columbus.
But working for a diverse community was also his passion. He yearned to see men and women of all races and religions living together in peace for the good and indeed the improvement of the community. To that end, he, along with Rev.. J. H. Flakes Jr., organized the Consolidated Public Affairs Council of Columbus which sponsored Brotherhood Rallies, sometimes in the Civic Center, where people of many denominations and races would gather. It is out of this group that the now popular Pulpit Exchange among churches in the Columbus area grew. His quiet but insistently persuasive manner changed many minds and hearts at a time when addressing issues of race was not particularly popular.
Of the many awards and recognitions he deserved, having the CBA Miles Ministry Center named for him for establishing a Senior Citizens Retirement Home was probably one of the most cherished.
With the support of a strong and committed partner in Edna Carlisle Miles who assisted him in every step of his journey, Richard R Miles made a lasting impression on the city of Columbus and deserves to be recognized as such.
It is therefore in his honor that the Richard R. Miles Community Award for Youth is named.