Rev. David Ballenger grew up in Columbia during the 1950s and 60s. He grew up in an African-American community in Columbia that has grown much larger than when he was a child, yet many neighborhood landmarks, family homes and businesses in the Sharp End district and on Third Street were destroyed through urban renewal.
Ballenger is a long-time Columbia resident, pastor, school board member, and grandparent, who currently serves as pastor of the historic Log Providence Baptist Church.
In this edition of the You Don’t Say conversation series, Ballenger speaks with friend and fellow pastor Clyde Ruffin. Ruffin is a former Columbia city councilmember, MU theater professor and pastor of the historic Second Missionary Baptist Church in downtown Columbia.
The two ministers sat at Ballenger’s kitchen table for a conversation about community and memories of a loving childhood, for this edition of “You Don’t Say.”
You Don’t Say is a special project commissioned by the City of Columbia’s bicentennial Como200 task force. It’s co-produced by the Sharp End Heritage Committee and KBIA.
