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The R.H. Boyd Story

R.H. Boyd was founded in 1896 by Dr. Richard Henry Boyd as an enterprise that trains leaders, produces Christian education curriculum, and offers a full suite of additional services. Formerly known as the National Baptist Publishing Board, the company has been a staple among faith leaders, educators, and life-long learners for five generations.

R.H. Boyd produces and distributes theologically-sound curriculum titles, fiction and non-fiction books, and age-appropriate children and youth content, as well as apparel, toys, and so much more. We offer multi-media content to teach, inspire, and connect with our audience, including our YouTube channel, podcast, Instagram, and Facebook page. We also continue to publish one of the longest-standing African-American newspapers in the nation, The Union Review, we offer commercial printing services, and various levels of author services for those seeking opportunities to tell their own stories  

Additionally, the R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund is dedicated to assisting students with achieving their academic and career success through providing scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies. R.H. Boyd proudly support students at HBCUs and PWIs across the country who are bringing their dreams to reality, as well as community organizations that are making a direct impact on those that they serve.  

The annual Legacy Ball is the concept of Dr. LaDonna Y. Boyd, fifth-generation president/CEO of the R.H. Boyd family of companies, and it is an annual black-tie affair that benefits the R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund through the R.H. Boyd Company, which provides scholarships and grants to university students and community organizations.
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A Timeline of Our History

  • 1843
    Birth of Richard Henry Boyd in Mississippi as a slave
  • 1861-1865
    Civil War
  • 1865-1870
    After the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, Dick Gray moved to Texas as a freedman. He changed his name to Richard Henry “R. H.” Boyd in order to free himself of his slave master’s name. R.H. Boyd helped to organize the Texas Negro Baptist Convention. He also organized and served as pastor to several churches in Texas.
  • 1870s
    R. H. Boyd attended Bishop College in Marshall, Texas and worked tirelessly to organize churches and freedmen Baptists across Texas.
  • 1875
    R. H. Boyd and others organized the Lincoln District Baptist Association of Navasota and the Western Baptist State Convention.
  • 1879
    R. H. Boyd served as a district missionary and became Educational Secretary of the Texas Negro Baptist Convention and a moderator for the Central Baptist Association.
  • 1896
    R. H. Boyd founded the National Baptist Publishing Board (NBPB), now known as R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation (RHBPC), in Nashville, TN.
  • 1904
    R. H. Boyd founded Citizens Savings Bank & Trust Company
  • 1906
    R. H. Boyd founded the National Baptist Congress Sunday School and Baptist Training Union Congress, now known as the National Baptist Congress.
  • 1912
    Dr. Henry Allen Boyd was among the influential business leaders responsible for locating Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial State Normal College for Negroes, now known as Tennessee State University, in Nashville. The university presently remains in Nashville, TN.
  • 1922
    Death of Rev. Dr. R. H. Boyd. His son, Dr. Henry Allen Boyd (1876-1959) became the second generation to lead the company. He implemented new operational procedures and the company continued to flourish.
  • 1929-1939
    The Great Depression
  • 1934
    NBPB was servicing twenty thousand Sunday schools and eight thousand churches. It published more than twenty different hymnals and music books, a broad variety of Christian education materials, church supplies, and doctrinal resources for ministers and Christian workers.
  • 1939-1945
    World War II
  • 1955
    Dr. T. B. Boyd, Jr. (1917-1979) followed in his uncle’s footsteps by becoming a member of the company’s board of directors. After returning from military service in the United States Army in the mid-1940’s, T. B. Boyd, Jr. began his career with the company as a linotype operator in the composing room and became the understudy to Dr. Henry Allen Boyd.
  • 1959
    Death of Henry Allen Boyd. Dr. T. B. Boyd Jr. became President/CEO.
  • 1960s
    The publishing company was a leader in the forefront of the national civil rights and social agenda, giving strong support to the National Baptist Convention of America, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Civil Rights Movement.
  • 1974
    NBPB relocated to current location on Centennial Blvd.
  • 1979
    Dr T. B. Boyd, Jr. and his wife Mabel L. Boyd were involved in the community and were partners in marriage and ministry. He served the company to the fullest of his ability until his untimely passing in 1979. The board of directors appointed Dr. T. B. Boyd III as President and Chief Executive Officer. He became the youngest executive to hold the position in the 80-year history of the company. A year earlier he had been elected to the Board of Directors of the Citizens Savings and Trust Company Bank. He became chairman of the board in 1982.
  • 1996
    NBPB reaches its centennial anniversary
  • 2000
    NBPB becomes known as the R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation. “We are very excited about this new and exciting publishing venture. The fact that we are paying homage to a man whose life and ministry created such positive impact in lives and communities across America, the Caribbean islands, and the Panama Canal alone, for over 100 years is befitting honor,” said Dr. T. B. Boyd III.
  • 2006
    National Baptist Congress reaches its centennial anniversary.
  • 2007-2009
    “Great Recession”
  • 2008
    President Barack H. Obama is elected as the first African-American President of the United States of America.
  • 2012
    R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation begins distributing eBooks worldwide through distributors such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and many others.
  • 2013
    Technological upgrades and launch of new e-commerce platform.
  • 2015
    The R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation’s Board of Directors unanimously voted Ms. LaDonna Boyd to serve as the Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation.
  • 2017
    Dr. T. B. Boyd III announced his retirement and transition to Chairman Emeritus status in October 2017. Ms. LaDonna Boyd is named as the President/CEO and Chairman of the Board of R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation. Ms. Boyd carries on the legacy of the corporation, founded in 1896, for its fifth generation of being the leader in providing Christian and inspirational resources for African-American churches and communities across the country. Read More.