Baltimore Civil Rights Organizer Betty Robinson Dies

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A well-known civil rights organizer from Baltimore has died.

Betty Garman Robinson died over the weekend, OSI-Baltimore tweeted. She was 81 years old.

According to a biography on the Baltimore City Office of Equity and Civil Rights' website, Robinson worked in public health and occupational health. She also spent two years as a staff member with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and six years as the lead organizer of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association, a group that brings communities together to address quality of life issues.

In a 2015 oral history interview, Robinson said she moved to Baltimore in 1972 to work in a factory where she eventually met her husband.

In a statement, State Sen. Mary Washington called Robinson "the very definition of an ally, freedom fighter and of a life well-lived":

"No matter the person, no matter the cause, no matter how heavy the lift, no matter what, there she stood — bedside us — our warrior for peace and justice. I am truly heartbroken to hear of Betty Robinson's passing yesterday. We lost an incredible friend, a frontline worker, an inspiring and relentless advocate. She was the rare kind of leader whose step I would follow without question, and the kind of leader I modeled myself after. She understood life was a short, unspeakably precious gift, and she filled every moment of it brightening the lives of those around her and challenging us to do right. To love and care and enjoy as deeply as she did is a goal each one of us should endeavor to achieve. And when we look back, we would be lucky if our lights shone half as bright as Betty Robinson."

In:
• Baltimore
• Civil Rights
• Baltimore City