We are sad to report the passing of Gwen Green at the age of 96. Gwen Green had been active in the civil rights movement with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She also was an active leader in equal access, equal pay fighting for equal access, equal pay and other union issues throughout her time here in Los Angeles.
Gwen was an active supporter and member of The Los Angeles Brotherhood Crusade, Mothers in Action, SCLC-LA, The NAACP and other civil rights organizations.
Gwen was also a family woman who was beloved by her children and grandchildren. During the pandemic the community saluted Gwen for her 96th birthday with a drive by celebration in her honor, her birthday was April 22.
Please check back to lasentinel.net for more information regarding Mrs. Green in the coming days.
Historian and Archivist Sherwin Keith Rice shared his most treasured moments of working the Green. He said, “Gwen was 88 years old when we met her. For me, she was the older cool kid in high school that let you hang out with them, in hopes that the “cool” would rub off on you.”
Rice continued, “Since that first meeting it has been an honor to know Gwen and call her my friend and a friend and supporter of the Bradley Center. Gwen was always straight with me. She would let me know when I was being naïve about the movement by saying in a motherly fashion, ‘baby, you’re being naïve, they were all just people like everyone else.’
“Still, I don’t think I became any less naïve. I was still in awe of her and everyone else who had made sacrifices for us all. How could I not be? I was lucky enough to drive her to some events and be in her presence while she might be having small talk with Andrew Young or when she would tell me about meeting Malcolm X.” Rice Said.
Ms. Green worked endlessly for all people to share the right to vote. History.com recalled this period as a critical part of American heritage. President Lyndon B. Johnson worked alongside activists leading the fight for social justice and voting rights.
Green oversaw marches and fundraisers, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune in 1965, she served as assistant director for the SCLC’s Summer Community Organization and Political Education Project. Ms. Green would commute to six southern states to provide voting registration and education at a time where Black Americans were hassled and put in prison for registering to vote. Green worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr., and civil rights activist Hosea Williams.
Updated 2/8/22 by Sentinel News Staff
