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'A Shining Star': Civil Rights Leader Rev. Jethroe Moore II to Be Honored at Memorial Saturday

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Rev. Jethroe Moore II. (Courtesy of San José/Silicon Valley NAACP)

Memorial services for Rev. Jethroe Moore II, a widely respected civil rights leader and justice advocate in the South Bay and beyond, will be held Saturday morning in San José.

Moore died Dec. 26 at his home in Georgia, where he had moved in recent years, according to his friends and colleagues. He was 66.

Those wishing to honor his life can attend a memorial service being held Saturday, Jan. 11, at 11 a.m. at Cathedral of Faith in San José.

Moore, who was born in Virginia and grew up in San José, served as president of the San José/Silicon Valley NAACP from 2008 through late 2024, holding the role longer than anyone else in the chapter’s history.

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He also previously served as 1st Vice President of the California/Hawaii NAACP and was a co-founder and co-chair of the Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet of Silicon Valley, among his many other leadership roles on local boards and commissions.

Moore’s friends and peers said he earned and retained the respect of people everywhere because of his commitment to lifting up those who were facing civil rights or human rights challenges.

“He was always looking out for the best interest of not just African and African Ancestry people, but Latino people, women, LGBTQ, everyone whose rights have been abridged,” said Walter Wilson, a South Bay civil rights advocate and friend of Moore. “And Jeff would always be the first one there. He was just an amazing, kind, warm, loving person.”

Moore often spoke out on critical issues impacting people in his community, including policing, racial inequalities, affordable housing and homelessness.

He harshly criticized San José police officers for their aggressive and violent response to protests following the murder of George Floyd and called for better leadership in the department. Moore, at one point, stood between protesters and officers as he tried to ease tensions in downtown San José.

Under his leadership, the NAACP also filed a lawsuit against the city in support of a group of protesters who were victims of police violence. The city later settled for more than $3 million.

Those who knew him best said Moore was unafraid to lend his voice to discussions about particular policies or practices, even if it meant, at times, challenging the views of someone he had worked closely with or considered a friend.

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors President Susan Ellenberg said Moore was highly regarded because he was consistently well-read on the issues he advocated for and because of his respect for the humanity of others.

“He absolutely argued and got into it and was vociferous and pounded on the table. But it was always, always about issues,” Ellenberg said. “I never once heard Rev. Moore make an ad hominem attack or try to take away someone’s personal credibility.”

Ellenberg said Moore helped her better understand certain things that she initially had different views on, such as the need to make Juneteenth a paid county holiday, which supervisors approved in 2021.

Moore attended Silver Creek High School and Evergreen Valley College and later earned a theology degree from San Jose Christian College, later known as Jessup University.

As a young man, Moore became a line worker at UPS and was eventually promoted to management-level positions. He later worked as a community school specialist for the East Side Union High School District.

He served as interim pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in San José, following the retirement of Rev. Willie T. Gaines, and later founded the nearby Rehoboth Christian Center.

As a man of the cloth, Moore was always driven to support what he felt was right, said Wilson, the civil rights advocate.

“You have people in the struggle who are out here fighting because they hate Trump, or they hate the enemies. But Jeff operated from a different perspective,” Wilson said. “He operated from a much stronger position, which is the position of love.”

Moore relocated to Georgia with his family in 2021 due to the high cost of living in Silicon Valley, but frequently returned to San José and continued to lead its NAACP chapter until last year.

Moore was a “shining star” who was comfortable functioning in any community and any group of people, recalled Sean Allen, a retired Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department sergeant and local justice advocate, who replaced Moore as president of the local chapter. “He was just a leader among leaders, and he spoke with a reverence that people respected.”

Allen said Moore taught him an immense amount and that it would be “almost impossible” for someone to single-handedly replicate what Moore brought to the community.

“It’s going to take a lot more than one person to fill the shoes of Rev. Jethroe Moore,” he said. “I’ve seen very few leaders of that magnitude in my lifetime.”

Moore is survived by his wife and two sons, his mother, and two siblings.

Cathedral of Faith is located at 2315 Canoas Garden Ave., in San José. Doors for the memorial services will open at 10 a.m.

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