UC celebrates the life of Marian Spencer
Hundreds gathered at the memorial for the alumna and civil rights pioneer
The University of Cincinnati celebrated the life of Marian Spencer Saturday with a memorial service at Fifth Third Arena. After 99 years of service to her community, Spencer died on Tuesday, July 9, 2019. A civil rights pioneer, her name will be forever remembered on UC’s campus, a place she and her late husband, Donald Spencer, forever changed and meaningfully reshaped.
Leaders from UC and the city of Cincinnati, family, friends and colleagues of Spencer spoke about her courage, compassion and commitment to civil rights for all.
UC President Neville Pinto addresses the crowd at the memorial. Photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
“Her modus operandi was to connect to people on the human level,” said UC President Neville Pinto, “teaching them why injustice should not stand.”
Spencer was a champion of equality and human rights for nearly a century. She joined the NAACP at just 13 years old after witnessing the Ku Klux Klan march past her home. At UC, she worked to integrate programs and functions on campus, including the prom.
Spencer was instrumental in the integration of Cincinnati’s Coney Island and Cincinnati Public Schools. She went on to become the first woman president of the Cincinnati chapter of the NAACP and the first African American elected to the city’s council.
Rev. Otis Moss, Jr. delivers the keynote address. Photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
Keynote speaker Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., pastor emeritus at Cleveland’s Mount Olive Baptist Church, described Spencer as a “mountain mover, a mountain claimer and a mountain climber.”
Spencer received the highest honor for UC alumni as the recipient of the William Howard Taft Medal for Notable Achievement at the 2018 the Distinguished Alumni Celebration Awards. That same year, a residence hall in her name opened to more than 300 students — a fitting tribute, considering she was not permitted to live on campus as a student of color.
Soon, a bronze statue of Spencer will be created by sculptor and UC alumnus Tom Tsuchiya, in an effort led by the Women’s City Club of Cincinnati. Proposed for a dedication on Spencer's 100th birthday, June 28, 2020, it would be Cincinnati’s first statue in honor of a woman.
Early concept sketch of the proposed Marian Spencer statue/provided
News anchor and emcee Courtis Fuller stands with four students from Winton Hills Academy as they share the book about Spencer's life that they wrote and illustrated. Photo/Jay Yocis/UC Creative Services
News media coverage
- Cincinnati Public Radio: Friends And Family Honor The Late Marian Spencer As A 'Force For Freedom'
- Local 12: Celebration of life held for civil rights pioneer Marian Spencer
- WLWT: Memorial celebration held to honor civil rights icon Marian Spencer
- The Cincinnati Enquirer: Bronzed Reds legends sculptor picked for Marian Spencer art
- WCPO: Dr. Marian Spencer, Cincinnati civil rights pioneer, to be honored at Fifth Third Arena
- Cincinnati Business Courier: UC hosts public memorial for Marian Spencer
- WHIO: UC, Coney Island plan tributes to honor civil rights icon Marian Spencer
- The Cincinnati Herald: Dr. Marian Spencer was Cincinnati’s iconic Civil Rights leader
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