With its genesis as the National Baptist Publishing Board, founded in downtown Nashville in 1896 by formerly enslaved Richard Henry (R. H.) Boyd, a family-owned publishing company that bears his name celebrates 130 years and five generations of leadership.  

R. H. (seated left in top photo), an entrepreneur, joined a small group of prominent Black Nashvillians to found Citizens Savings Bank & Trust Company in 1904. His son, Henry Allen Boyd (seated right in top photo), helped establish a land-grant college for Black students, now Tennessee State University in Nashville. 

In the 1960s, the Rev. T. B. Boyd Jr. steered the publishing venture built by his grandfather and uncle to the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement. After his father’s death, T.B. Boyd III guided the company into the 21st century and introduced many new products and services. He also chaired the board of Citizens Savings and Trust Company Bank (the name changed slightly from 1904 to then).

Since 2017, LaDonna Boyd, great-great-granddaughter of R. H. Boyd, has served as president, CEO and chairman of the board of the R.H. Boyd family of companies, headquartered on Centennial Boulevard, which publishes inspirational resources for churches and communities nationwide. In 2022, she founded the Legacy Ball to support the R.H. Boyd Family Endowment Fund, which provides scholarships to deserving students and grants to impactful community organizations.