Contributed by Scott Lipscomb

Unsung Civil Rights Shero and Maryland native, Gloria Richardson Dies at 99

Shero and guiding light of the Civil Rights Movement, Gloria Richardson died on July 15th at her home in Manhattan. She was 99. In the early 1960s, Ms. Richardson was unapologetically a leading voice for protests against racial segregation as well as fought for economic justice for Cambridge Maryland’s 4200 Black residents known as the “Cambridge Movement.”

As reported by the New York Times Richardson often received criticism for her outspoken approaches to dealing with segregation, “Unlike many Southern civil rights leaders and despite her organization’s name, Ms. Richardson did not demand a non-violent response. She encouraged Cambridge’s Black residents to defend themselves.”

Richardson graduated from Howard University in 1942 with a B.A. degree in Sociology. After her activism in the Civil Rights Movement, Richardson dedicated her life’s work to advocating for others in the capacity of serving senior citizens as an employee with New York City’s Department for Aging. In later years, she was quoted and recognized as a “Woman Civil Rights Warrior.”