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In Memoriam

Gloria Richardson and Other Bison Who Have Passed On

A civil rights activists; and other alumni who have passed on.

Gloria Richardson

Gloria Richardson was a civil rights icon and revolutionary activist. Amidst the towering male figures of the 1960s, Richardson stood in no one’s shadow. As much as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X helped define two separate poles of civil rights activism, Richardson came to represent another distinct wing of the movement.

Richardson graduated from Howard University in 1942 with a degree in sociology and a mission to unapologetically and without compromise demand the satisfaction of the Black community’s basic needs. It was her unyielding insistence that Black individuals needed better health care, safer housing and steadier employment that helped distinguish her from some of the other civil rights leaders of the era.

Richardson made a name for herself beginning in 1963 in Cambridge, Maryland. She became the chairwoman of the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, an offshoot of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. That year, Richardson led a series of protests demanding improved living conditions for Black residents of Cambridge. The protests attracted backlash from white residents and became increasingly volatile. The governor of Maryland called in the National Guard, which ultimately retained a local presence for an entire year.

Over the course of these protests, Richardson became a public figure of the civil rights movement, gaining fame and prominence for her fearlessness in the face of violent oppression. In one iconic moment, captured in a photograph, Richardson pushes aside the rifle of a National Guard member who got in her way. That simple gesture personified the courage that fanned the flames of her passion and emboldened every step she took as a public leader.

Richardson negotiated with politicians across every level of government as well as leaders in the White House to reach a deal that would help end segregationist practices and provide federal housing aid to the Black community. She ultimately signed a deal, but she did not offer her support of it publicly and the plan ultimately did not pass as it lacked support from both the white and Black communities.

By 1964, Richardson stepped back from the national spotlight and stepped down from her leadership role with the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee, leaving space for other leaders to step up. She would continue to advocate for the rights of the Black community for the rest of her life.

In Memoriam

'40s

Marietta Crichlow (B.A. ’41, M.A. ’56), October 28, 2020.

’50s

Alice Sonja Johnson Hilfiker, Ph.D., (N. ’51), June 6, 2021.

Nora Nita Evans (N. ’53), August 29, 2020.

Harold E. Mavritte (MD ’55), March 22, 2021.

Perry A. Smith (B.A. ’55, M.Div. ’58), April 16, 2021. He was a civil rights advocate who worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Rev. Smith was one of the Freedom Riders arrested multiple times in the civil rights struggle.

’60s

Rosalind “Roz” Joyce Leverett Phoenix Dixon (B.A. ’60, M.A. ’67), June 19, 2021.

Otto Beatty Jr. (B.A. ’61), May 14, 2021. A lawyer and former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, he served for 18 years in the legislature.

Otis Benjamin Young Jr. (B.S. ’61), June 9, 2021.

Legrand L. Hall (BSPharm ’63), May 30, 2021.

Robbie Doris McCauley (B.A. ’63), May 20, 2021. An actress, director, writer and educator, McCauley received an OBIE Award and a Bessie Award for outstanding achievement in performance for her play, “Sally’s Rape.” She also wrote a one-woman play called “Sugar” about her personal struggle with diabetes.

Robert Foster Cephas (B.S. ’66), May 9, 2021.

’70s

Herman Anthony Chesley (B.A. ’75, MBA ’92), April 9, 2021.

This story appears in the Fall 2021 issue.
Article ID: 66

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In Memoriam