Category: Obituaries

Marian Robinson, mother to former First Lady Michelle Obama, died on Friday, May 31, at 86. Her loved ones said she leaves behind a void in the hearts of many. As a steadfast figure in the Obama White House, Robinson’s presence extended far beyond familial ties, touching the lives of all who knew her.

 Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Austin Cooper recalled the first time he met Professor Charles V. Hamilton, a philosophical luminary and key architect of the Black Power movement. Cooper, who earned a Master of Public Administration from the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs under Hamilton’s tutelage, said the professor wasn’t simply an academic advisor. To Cooper and others, he was a mentor and friend. Mostly, though, Hamilton was “Doc.”