January 25, 2025
Marsh, born and raised in Richmond, had an elementary faculty named after him in 2020.
Henry Marsh III, the primary Black Mayor of Richmond, Virginia, died on Jan. 23; following his loss of life, Marsh was described by group leaders within the metropolis and state as “the guts of Richmond” and “a very distinctive individual.”
In line with WTVR, the 91-year-old Marsh III served as Richmond’s mayor from 1977 till 1982 and served within the Virginia Basic Meeting from 1992 till 2014.
Marsh, born and raised in Richmond, had an elementary faculty named after him in 2020 when the Richmond College Board voted to rename George Mason Elementary College in his honor to Henry L. Marsh Elementary.
Richmond’s NAACP President, JJ Minor III, launched an announcement honoring Marsh after his loss of life, one in every of many who sought to contextualize his life.
“Henry Marsh was greater than a frontrunner; he was the guts of Richmond—a towering determine amongst civil rights activists and a steadfast advocate for change,” Minor III mentioned in an announcement. “His life’s work serves as a strong reminder of what braveness and willpower can obtain. Although he’s gone from our sight, his legacy endures. His footsteps are indelibly etched within the sands of time, and his contributions will without end form the material of Richmond and past.”
United States Senator Tim Kaine, a one-time Democratic presidential candidate, issued a prolonged assertion concerning Marsh and his contributions to the state’s management.
“My coronary heart is heavy with grief and stuffed with gratitude that I had the possibility to know Henry Marsh—a very distinctive individual. A born-and-raised Richmonder who turn into energetic within the civil rights motion earlier than he even graduated from Maggie L. Walker Excessive College, Henry by no means waited even for a second to do all he may to serve and enhance his group,” Sen. Kaine mentioned.
Kaine continued, “After he graduated from Virginia Union College, earned a legislation diploma from Howard College, and answered the decision to serve in the US Military, he returned residence to work as a civil rights lawyer—tackling essential instances referring to desegregation and equality in employment. He then made historical past as Richmond’s first African American mayor. As a former mayor myself, I understand how robust that job is and have the deepest appreciation and admiration for a way properly he did it.”
Kaine concluded, “Any single one in every of Henry’s accomplishments could be sufficient trigger to be proud, however he by no means stopped in search of new alternatives to serve. I’m honored to have referred to as him a good friend and mentor and would by no means have been elected to any workplace if it weren’t for him. I shall be praying for his household and all who knew and cherished him.”
In line with WRIC, Richmond’s Metropolis Council, to which Marsh was elected to in 1966 and served as its vice mayor from 1970 till 1977 when he was elected Richmond’s mayor, issued its personal assertion praising Marsh as a sentinel of justice.
“Senator Marsh was a real hero and champion for racial justice, equality, and inclusion and his work as a lifelong advocate and trailblazer for our group, area, and Commonwealth will without end function a stalwart sentinel and inspiration for generations to return,” town council mentioned.
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