Advocacy and Outreach: The Work of Lyda Moore Merrick (1890-1987) and Margaret Whisenton (1918-1998)

Lyda Moore Merrick (1890-1987)

Lyda Moore Merrick was born Lydia Vivian Moore in 1890 in Durham, North Carolina. Her parents were Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore and Sarah McCotta Dancy Moore. Merrick’s father was the first African American physician in Durham and the founder of the Lincoln Hospital for Negroes.

Merrick attended Scotia Seminary (Barber-Scotia College) in Concord, North Carolina and Fisk University, In Nashville, Tennessee, where she graduated magna cum laude in 1911. In addition, Merrick was a member of Delta Sigma Theta and the Volkemenia Literary Club.

In 1916, Merrick married Edward R. Merrick. Their fathers, John Merrick and Dr. Aaron McDuffie Moore, co-founded the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association (North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company). In addition, Dr. Moore helped start the Durham Colored Library in 1913 in the basement of White Rock Baptist Church. In 1916 the library moved into a building owned by John Merrick.

In 1940, the Durham Colored Library moved into a new building and was renamed the Stanford L. Warren Library after Dr. Stanley L ee Warren (1863-1940, who donated funds to purchase the land on which the new library was built. Merrick joined the library’s board of directors. She also began working with the Library Corner for the Blind as part of the library’s extension service. A patron of the Library Corner for the Blind, John Carter Washington, noticed that many Braille materials being published did not feature stories by and about African Americans. In 1952, Washington and Merrick started Negro Braille Magazine as a resource for African Americans with print disabilities. Merrick was the magazine’s first editor and would search for stories and news of interest to African Americans. Washington served as the assistant editor and translated the stories and news into Braille.

Merrick served as the Negro Braille Magazine’s editor until 1969. Charlotte Hackett succeeded Merrick as the magazine’s editor. Hackett served as editor until 1975, when she was succeeded by Margaret Wilson Whisenton.

Merrick was recipient of several awards during her lifetime, including:

·       Durham Area Merchant’s Association Mother of the Year Award, 1979

·       Baha’i Community of Durham Humanitarian Award, 1981

·       Daughters of Isis of Zafa Court No. 41 Community Recognition Award, 1982

Both Lyda Moore Merrick and John C. Washington were honored during the Negro Braille Magazine’s 25^th anniversary celebration held at St. Joseph’s A.M.E. Church in Durham, on Friday, June 3, 1977. An additional program was held the next day featuring a performance at the Durham Civic Center by the Celestial Choral Ensemble of the Blind from New York.

Negro Braille Magazine was renamed Merrick-Washington Magazine for the Blind in 1981 in recognition of the work of Merrick and Washington.

Lyda Moore Merrick passed away at the age of 96 on February 14, 1987, in Durham, North Carolina. The Lyda Moore Merrick Gallery at the Hayti Heritage Center, also in Durham, is named for her.

 

Margaret Whisenton (1918-1998)

Margaret Whisenton was born Margaret Yvonne Wilson, in Durham, North Carolina on October 22, 1918. Her parents were William Henry Wilson and Lida Smith Wilson.

Whisenton attended West Virginia State College (West Virginia State University), receiving her B.A. in 1939. Whisenton furthered her education, receiving a Master of Science in Social Work from Atlanta University (Clark-Atlanta University) and later, a Bachelor of Library Science from North Carolina College for Negroes (North Carolina Central University) in 1947. She later married Andrew C. Whisenton.

In 1951, Margret Wilson Whisenton began working as the extension services librarian for the Stanford L. Warren Library (formerly the Durham Colored Library). Whisenton coordinated the library’s bookmobile service and the library’s outreach to African Americans with print disabilities through its Library Corner for the Blind. In 1966, Whisenton became head of the Durham City-County Library System’s extension service. In 1971, Whisenton became head of the library’s adult services, a position she held until her retirement in 1974.

In 1975, an opportunity became available for Whisenton. The Negro Braille Magazine needed a new editor. Founded in 1952 by Lyda Moore Merrick (1890-1987), the magazine served as a resource for African Americans with print disabilities. Whisenton became the new editor, a role she took on until 1981. Dr. Ida Blue succeeded Whisenton as editor.

 In 1981 the name of the magazine was changed to Merrick-Washington Magazine for the Blind in recognition of the work of Lyda Merrick and John C. Washington, the magazine’s founders. The magazine ceased publication in 2013.

Whisenton was not the only librarian in her family. Her son, Andre Carl Whisenton (1944-2019) was library director at the United States Department of Labor and at the Naval Systems Command; deputy director at the Defense Intelligence Agency; and director of dispute resolution and equal employment opportunity at the Library of Congress.

Margaret Yvonne Wilson Whisenton passed away in 1998.

Sources:

“Braille Group Selects New Officers.” The Durham Sun [Durham, N.C.], 30 Jan. 1976, p. A-5.

“Concern for Humanity is Family Tradition.” The Durham Sun [Durham, N.C.], 14 Feb. 1989, p. A-6.

Durham County Library. The History of the Stanford L. Warren Library, n.d., durhamcountylibrary.org/exhibits/slw/timeline.php. Accessed 25 May 2026.

Hincliffe, Kelly. “90^th Anniversary a New Beginning: Warren Branch Library Has History and a New Look.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 14 Aug. 2006, pp. A-1, A-5.

Hodges, Betty. “Mothers of the Year 1979.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 29 Apr. 1979, pp. E-1–E-2.

“HUD Secretary Presented First N.C. Mutual Award.” The Durham Morning Herald [Durham, N.C.], 21 Oct.1967, p. B-1.

“Library Trustee Names Book Selection Panel.” The Durham Sun [Durham, N.C.], 20 Feb. 1974, p. C-1.

Lougee, George. “She Cherishes Past and Watches Present.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], · 28 Dec. 1976, p. B-14.

“Lyda Merrick to be Honored.” The Durham Sun [Durham, N.C.], 28 May 1977, p. 10.

“Lyda Moore Merrick, 96, Founder of a Magazine for the Blind.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 15 Feb. 1987, p. C-2.

“Magazine Editor.”  The Daily Times News [Burlington, N.C.], 27 May 1977, p. A-2.

“Magazine Founder Honored.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 23 Apr. 1969, p. E-5.

“Magazine’s 1-Person Operation.” The Charlotte News [Charlotte, N.C.], 31 May 1977, p. B-2.

“Melva Washington Toomer and John Washington.” StoryCorps, 2016, storycorps.org/stories/john-washington-and-melva-washington-toomer-160819/. Accessed 25 May 2026.

Moe, Susan Spence. “Magazine Kept Founder on Her Knees.” The News and Observer [Raleigh, N.C.], 1 June 1977, p. 12.

“N.C.C.N. Department Sponsors Display During Book Week.” The Durham Morning Herald [Durham, N.C.], 5 Nov. 1946, Sec. 2, p. 1.

“Negro Braille Magazine Nears 25^th Anniversary.” Thomasville Times [Thomasville, N.C.], 27 May 1977, p. D-1.

“Negro Braille Magazine Unique.” Winston-Salem Journal [Winston-Salem, N.C.], 27 May 1977, p. 16.

“Negro Library Gets New Bookmobile.” The Durham Sun [Durham, N.C.], 30 May 1958, p. A-2.

“North Carolina Mutual Fulfills Long-Cherished Goal.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 1 Apr. 1966, p. 2, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Co. Section.

“Sen. Barkley, Commencement Speaker at N.C. College Declares United States Foreign Policy is Consistent; 157 Degrees Given to Candidates at Closing Exercises.” The Durham Morning Herald [Durham, N.C.], 3 June 1947, Sec. 2, p. 6.

“Time Capsule Will Show Firm’s 65-Year History.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 1 Apr. 1966, p. E-5.

“Vacation Reading Program Launched by Negro Library.” The Durham Morning Herald [Durham, N.C.], 9 June 1947, p. 3.

“Warren Library Marks Its Half-Century.” The Durham Morning Herald [Durham, N.C.], 10 Apr. 1990, p. A-7.

“Whisenton.”  The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 23 Oct. 1998, p. C-2.

Brandon, Khadija. “Stanford Lee Warren.” BlackPast, 20 July 2019, blackpast.org/african-american-history/stanford-lee-warren-1863-1940/. Accessed 25 May 2026.

Whisenton, Vera. “Andre Carl Whisenton.” Handbook of Black Librarianship, Third Edition, edited by Andrew P. Jackson, Marva L. DeLoach, and Michele Fenton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024, pp. 38-39.

Whittenton, Burwell. “Boys Club Branch Library Proves to Be Big Success.” The Durham Sun [Durham, N.C.], 12 May 1969, p. B-1.

Wilson, Emily Herring. “Lyda Moore Merrick: A Black History Month Perspective.” The Herald-Sun [Durham, N.C.], 23 Feb. 2007, p. 36.

 

 

James C. Welbourne (1942-2011) : First African American Director of the New Haven Free Public Library

A graduate of the library science program at the University of Maryland and a founding member of the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), James Clifton Welbourne was born in 1942 in Baltimore, Maryland. His parents were James C. and Mabel Welbourne.

Welbourne served as the assistant director of the Enoch Pratt Library from 1993 to 2000, and the assistant to the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland School of Library and Information Science. Previously, he was assistant director of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh from 1986 to 1993.

In July 2000, the New Haven Free Public Library hired Welbourne as its first African American director. In addition, to his work in librarians, Welbourne author several chapters on librarians and librarianship for The Black Librarian in America, What Black Librarians Are Saying, and The Black Librarian in America Revisited. He retired from the New Haven Free Public Library in 2010. Welbourne passed away on August 22, 2011. The ALA Council adopted a memorial resolution honoring Welbourne's legacy during the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, California.

Sources: Welbourne, James C. "Black Recruitment: The Issue and an Approach." The Black Librarian in America, edited by E. J. Josey, Scarecrow, 1970, pp. 92-97; Welbourne, James C. "The Information Potential in the Liberation of Black People." What Black Librarians Are Saying, edited by E. J. Josey, Scarecrow, 1972, pp. 50-64; Welbourne, James C. "Achieving Economic Self-Reliance: The Urban Public Library Strengthens the Economic Base of the Community." The Black Librarian in America Revisited, edited by E. J. Josey, Scarecrow, 1994, pp. 122-32.; Smith, Abbe. "Former New Haven City Librarian Touched Many Lives." New Haven Register [Online], 26 Aug. 2011, www.nhregister.com/news/article/Former-New-Haven-city-librarian-touched-many-lives-11570568.php . Accessed 6 Apr. 2026; Berry, John N. "Leadership for Change Saves Us from the Slow Death of Entrenchment: Welbourne's Legacy." Library Journal, vol. 136, no. 16, 2011, p. 9.; RoryLitwin. "James Welbourne Has Passed On." Litwin Books, 5 Sept. 2011, litwinbooks.com/james-welbourne-has-passed-on/ . Accessed 6 Apr. 2026; Satija, Neena. "He Built Up Branches & People." New Haven Independent [Online], 3 Oct. 2011, www.newhavenindependent.org/2011/10/03/james_welbourne/ . Accessed 6 Apr. 2026; "James C. 'Jim' Welbourne, Jr. (1942-2011)." Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, 25 Sept. 2023, nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/2000067 . Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.; Biddle, Stanton F. "BCALA Leadership:1970-2025 [Part 1 and 2]." Handbook of Black Librarianship, 3rd Edition, edited by Andrew P. Jackson, Marva L. DeLoach, and Michele Fenton, Rowman & Littlefield, 2024, pp. 60, 63.

Works of Fiction on Black Children and Libraries

Looking for books about libraries featuring children and teens as the central characters? Please consider checking out some of the titles below:

Abrams, Stacey. Stacey’s Remarkable Books. Illustrated by Kitt Thomas, First edition, Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022.

Best, Cari. Red Light, Green Light, Mama and Me. Illustrated by Niki Daly, Orchard Books, 1995.

Blue, Rose. A Quiet Place. Illustrated by Tom Feelings, Franklin Watts, Inc., 1969.

Blue, Rose, and Corinne J. Naden. Ron’s Big Mission. Illustrated by Don Tate, First edition, Dutton Childrens Books, 2009.

Bryon, Nathan. Rocket Says Speak Up! Illustrated by Dapo Adeola, First American edition, Random House, 2023.

Cline-Ransome, Lesa. Finding Langston. Holiday House, 2018.

Davis, Nadvia. Davis Practices Reading with Risks. Illustrated by George Franco, First edition, Nadvia Davis, 2019.

Elbee, Viviane. I Want My Book Back. Illustrated by Nicole Miles, Little Bee Books, 2022.

Freeman, Rodney E. Little Rodney the Librarian. Illustrated by Eduardo Paj, Preservation Media LLC, 2022.

Giovanni, Nikki. A Library. Illustrated by Erin Robinson, First edition, Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022.

Horn, Alvin L. A. Places to Be: A Young Adult Novel. Romantic Blues Publishing, 2022.

Ikegwuonu, Chukwujekwu, and Tiffany Ikegwuonu. Chukwu Gets a Library Card. [publisher not identified], 2022.

Johnson, Angela. Lottie Paris and the Best Place. Illustrated by Scott M. Fischer, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2013.

Joosse, Barbara M. Hot City. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Philomel Books, 2004.

Magoon, Kekla. The Secret Library. Illustrated by Bea Jackson, First edition, Candlewick Press, 2024.

Malaspina, Ann. Finding Lincoln. Illustrated by Colin Bootman, Albert Whitman, 2009.ln

McKissack, Pat. Goin’ Someplace Special. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, 1st ed, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001.

McQuinn, Anna. Lola at the Library. Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, First U.S. edition, Charlesbridge, 2006.

McQuinn, Anna. Lola at the Library with Mommy. Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, Board book edition, Charlesbridge, 2020.

McQuinn, Anna. Lola Loves Stories. Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, 1st U.S. ed, Charlesbridge, 2009.

Miedoso, Andres. Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol. 05: The Scary Library Shusher. Illustrated by Victor Rivas, First Little Simon hardcover edition, Little Simon, 2018.

Miller, William. Richard Wright and the Library Card. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, First edition, Lee & Low Books, Inc., 1997.

Muhammad, Patrick S. Little Librarian Girl. Illustrated by Jeremy Hughes, Rathsi Publishing, 2008.

Noel, Melvina. Mama’s Library Summers. Illustrated by Daria Peoples, Cameron Kids, an imprint of Abrams, 2024.

Ramsey, Calvin A. The Library in the Woods. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Carolrhoda Books, 2025.

Reynolds, Jason. There Was a Party for Langston. Illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, First edition, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2023.

Rose, Tiffany. Dear Reader: A Love Letter to Libraries. First edition, Little Bee Books, 2022.

Tyner, Artika R. Kojo Goes to the Library. Illustrated by Bilal Karaca, First edition, Planting People Growing Justice Press, 2025.

Wallace, Gwendolyn. The Light She Feels Inside. Illustrated by Olivia Duchess, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks Kids, 2023.

Children's Books on the History of African Americans and Libraries

Explore these notable titles to introduce children to the history of African Americans and their contributions to libraries:

Bolte, Mari. Dr. Carla Hayden: The First Woman Librarian of Congress. Paw Prints Publishing, 2023.

Denise, Anika. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. Illustrated by Paola Escobar, First edition, Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2019.

Felecié Soto, Ada Myriam, and Abimael Ortiz Alvarez. Arturo and the Hidden Treasure. 1st ed, The Rosen Publishing, 2014.

Gottesfeld, Jeff, et al. Fight for the Right to Read: Samuel Wilbert Tucker and the 1939 Sit-down Strike for Library Reading Equality. Creston Books, 2025.

Lyon, Lea, et al. Ready to Fly: How Sylvia Townsend Became the Bookmobile Ballerina. First edition, Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2020.

Mack, John B., et al. Nobody Promised Me. [Childrens Press], 1970.

McDaniel, Breanna J. Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. Illustrated by April Harrison, Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024.

Miller, William. Richard Wright and the Library Card. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, First edition, Lee & Low Books, Inc., 1997.

Moening, Kate. Carla Hayden: Librarian of Congress. Bellwether Media, 2021.

Priestley, Mary P., et al. Little Brown Hen Librarian: Based on the True Story of a Little Girl Who Loved to Read. Thurmond Memorial Library: Proctor’s Hall Press, 2017.

Weatherford, Carole Boston. Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library. Illustrated by Eric Velasquez, First edition, Candlewick Press, 2017.

White, C. Ian, and Charles White. Grandpa and the Library: How Charles White Learned to Paint. The Museum of Modern Art, 2018.

Some Books on Black-Owned Bookstores: A Short List

In celebration of Black-owned bookstores, here is a short list of fiction and non-fiction titles on the subject:

Non-Fiction

Adams, Char. Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore. Tiny Reparations Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2025.

Mitchell, Katie, et al. Prose to the People: A Celebration of Black Bookstores. First edition, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2025.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, Carolrhoda Books, 2015.

Fiction

Lindo-Rice, Michelle. The Bookshop Sisterhood. Mira, 2024.

Robinson, Shauna. The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks: A Novel. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2022.

Update: May 25, 2026:

Non-Fiction

Cook, Jeannine A. Shut Up and Read: A Memoir from Harriett's Bookshop. Amistad, 2026.

Julia Bullock Gaddy (1921-2010): Librarian at Hampton Institute and the Detroit Public Library

Julia Bullock Gaddy was born Julia Amanda Bullock on September 3, 1921, in Boston, Massachusetts to Matthew Washington Bullock and Katherine H. Wright Bullock.  She was the youngest of two children. 

Gaddy's father, a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, taught at the Atlanta Baptist College (Morehouse College) and at State Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (Alabama A & M University); was an assistant attorney general, and the first African American to serve as chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Appeals.

Gaddy attended Fisk University where she graduated cum laude in 1941. She also attended Simmons College School of Library Science (Simmons University School of Library & Information Science), receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Library Science in 1942.  That same year, Gaddy was hired as a circulation librarian at Hampton Institute (Hampton University) in Hampton, Virginia.

On December 23, 1943, in Detroit, Michigan, she married George W. Gaddy, an educator, basketball coach, and graduate of Fisk University. The couple had two children.

On March 1, 1944, Gaddy was appointed junior library assistant at the Detroit Public Library. She was the second African American librarian hired to work for the library.

In addition to working at the Detroit Public Library, Gaddy was active in the community and was the corresponding secretary for the West Side Human Relations Council.

Julia Bullock Gaddy passed away in 2010 at the age of 88.

Sources: "Detroit Library Appoints Second Negro Librarian." The Michigan Chronicle (Detroit, Mich.), 4 March 1944, p. 1; "Thirty Added to Faculty at Hampton." The Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch (Norfolk, Va.), 22 Sept. 1942, p. 20; "Circulation Librarian." The Afro-American, 26 Sept. 1942, p. 19; "Bullock, Julia Amanda," Massachusetts, U.S. Birth Index, 1860-1970, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com. Accessed Mar. 1, 2025; "Julia A. Gaddy," U.S. Social Security Death Index, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com. Accessed Mar. 1, 2025; "Julia A. Bullock, George W. Gaddy," Michigan, U.S. Marriage Records, 1867-1952, Ancestry, www.ancestry.com. Accessed Mar. 1, 2025; Webster, Edlee. "Detroit Spotlight." The Afro-American, 8 Jan. 1944, p. 17; Webster, Edlee. "Detroit Spotlight." The Afro-American, 18 Mar. 1944, p. 13; "Julia Amanda Bullock, A.B." Simmons College Register of Officers and Students, 1942-1943. Simmons College, 1942, p. 31; "Fisk Exercises Open Saturday: Dr. Jones to Deliver Closing Address; 79 Are Candidates." The Nashville Tennessean (Nashville, Tenn.), 30 May 1941, p. 24; "30 New Members of Hampton Faculty as New Semester Begins," The New York Age (New York, N.Y. : 1887), 26 Sept. 1942, p. 12; "Greater Boston Society," The Afro-American, 18 July 1942, p. 19; Neal, Anthony. "The Multitalented Matthew Washington Bullock." The Bay State Banner (Roxbury, Mass.), 9 Feb. 2017, https://baystatebanner.com/.  Accessed Mar. 1, 2025; "Matthew Bullock Dies: Ex-Parole Board Chief," Hartford Currant (Hartford, Conn.), 20 Dec. 1972, p. 86; Gaddy, Matthew. "George W. Gaddy III (1916-1997)," Facebook, www.facebook.com. Accessed Mar. 1, 2025; "The Fisk Club Annual Party." The Michigan Chronicle (Detroit, Mich.),  3 June 1944, p. 9; "New Director and Personnel Asked by Bill." The Michigan Chronicle (Detroit, Mich.),  23 June 1945, p. 5; "Local Fisk University Club Entertains School President," The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.), 10 May 1947, p. 7; "George Gaddy, 81 (Obituary)." Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Mich.), 5 Dec. 1997, p. 118.

Guest Post: Remembering A Legend: Bobbie Smith (1932-2022)

Today's post is a special guest post by Dele C. Ladejobi:

Remembering A Legend: Bobbie Smith 

May 5, 1932 - July 20, 2022

 by 

Dele C. Ladejobi

 Bobbie Smith (nee Bobbie Jean Davis) was born and raised in Mississippi, United States. She attended grade school in Mississippi during the trials of the segregation era and experienced the harsh discrimination of Jim Crow laws. She received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in religious education from Eureka College and a master’s degree in library science from the University of Illinois at Champaign Urbana. Bobbie was married to her high school sweetheart, Herbert (“Herb”) Smith,” a famous basketball player on the Harlem Globetrotters for 35 years and they had two children.

Bobbie and her family moved to California in 1965 in the midst of the Watts Riots. In the late 1960s, she was hired as the Audio-Visual Department librarian at LBCC. She was the first African American librarian to be employed at LBCC. She previously worked in the Los Angeles County Library system in their audiovisual department. Bobbie was successful in raising the stature of the LBCC Audiovisual Department at a time when technology was becoming more important in education. Under her guidance, the department was eventually elevated to the status of Media Services Department, and she served as its director for several years prior to being elected Library Department Head. She served in that capacity until her retirement in 1992.

During her tenure as librarian, Bobbie served on numerous college committees, and she was active in both state and national library organizations. She achieved many noteworthy accomplishments, such as, the first African American to be elected the Academic Senate President where she served multiple terms; and the first African American to serve as the Faculty Union President. She was also responsible for the introduction of automation and computer use in the LBCC libraries.

In 1988 she became the first African American elected to the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education and served four terms as President. In this capacity, she facilitated the restructure and reform of the schools in her district. Bobbie made a positive mark on Long Beach local history in 2014, when the former Peter Burnett Elementary School was renamed in her honor in recognition of her role, impact and contributions to the community. This event was important and meaningful because the elementary school shed its namesake from a racist, White supremacist California governor and slaveholder to claim a new forward-looking identity in which students could now take pride. According to Bobbie, this accomplishment was “a lifetime achievement” and the “GEOT – Grammy, Emmy, Oscar, Tony award all rolled into one.” 

Bobbie is fondly remembered for her physical beauty, charm, wit, humor, and charisma. She was so elegant and had a distinguished aura about her. Bobbie was an incredible mentor, multi-talented and creative. She had amazing compassion and empathy and was extremely generous and supportive.

Bobbie passed away in California on July 20, 2022, at the age of 90.

To learn more about Bobbie:

•  Fisher, JJ. “Bobbie Smith, LBUSD’s first Black board member, dies at 90.” (Online) August 3, 2022. Accessed August 10, 2022. (https://lbpost.com/news/education/bobbie-smith-lbusds-obit-first-black-board-member-dies-at-90/)

• “Herbert Smith (1931-1991)”. Find a Grave Memorial (Online) November 16, 1991. Accessed August 10, 2022. (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/94614365/herbert-smith)

• LBUSD News. “Paying Tribute to Dr. King.” (Online) January 21, 2016. Accessed August 10, 2022. (https://www.lbschools.net/Departments/Newsroom/article.cfm?articleID=2136)

• LBUSD News. “Remembering Bobbie Smith.” (Online) July 21,2022. Accessed August 10, 2022. (https://www.lbschools.net/Departments/Newsroom/article.cfm?articleID=3230)

• LBUSD News. “Smith School Celebrates Its New Name” (Online) December 19, 2014. Accessed August 10, 2022. (https://www.lbschools.net/Departments/Newsroom/article.cfm?articleID=1936) 

• Wilkin, Binnie Tate. “Bobbie Smith: Former Coordinator of Libraries Long Beach City College and Recently Retired Member and President Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education.” In African American Librarians in the Far West: Pioneers and Trailblazers, 221–28. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2006.

• YouTube: Long Beach Elementary Students Meet School's New Namesake