Mildred C. Crump (born 1938) was a councilperson on the
Municipal Council of Newark The Municipal Council is the legislative branch of government for Newark, New Jersey.
Newark was governed by a mayor and common council from 1836 to 1917 and then by a five-member commission until 1954.
Effective as of July 1, 1954, the voters of ...
from 1994-1998 and again from 2006-2021, and is the first Black woman to serve on the city's governing body. She was the first African
American Braille
American Braille was a popular braille alphabet used in the United States before the adoption of standardized English Braille in 1918. It was developed by Joel W. Smith, a blind piano tuning teacher at Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston ...
teacher in New Jersey. InsiderNJ called her "legendary". Former Mayor Luis A. Quintana said of her “I see her as someone who was a pioneer as an African-American female".
Early life
Crump was born in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
to Edgar Coleman and Mattie Lee Johnson. She graduated from
Wayne State University
Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. She became the first African-American Braille teacher in the City of Detroit. She moved to New Jersey in 1965 and she became the first African-American Braille teacher in the state. She received her master's degree from Rutgers University–Newark in Public Administration. She was a teacher and consultant for many years with the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She was married to Cecil Crump with whom she had two children.
Political career
Crump ran for Council election as early as 1989 on a platform of fair taxation, help for tenants, and better education. She was the first Black woman to serve on the Municipal Council when she was elected in 1994. Crump was elected on June 14, 1994, beating Donald Kofi Tucker in a run off election. She was the first woman to serve as council president for
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. She ran for Mayor in 1998, trying to call attention to crime, school failure, and corruption under
Sharpe James
Sharpe James (born February 20, 1936) is an American Democratic politician from New Jersey, who served as State Senator for the 29th Legislative District and was 37th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. James was the second African American Mayor of ...
. She served on the council for 19 total years before she resigned in 2021, as Councilman-At-Large (1994-1998, 2006–2021). She served under Mayors
Sharpe James
Sharpe James (born February 20, 1936) is an American Democratic politician from New Jersey, who served as State Senator for the 29th Legislative District and was 37th Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. James was the second African American Mayor of ...
,
Cory Booker
Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. se ...
, and
Ras Baraka
Ras Jua Baraka (born April 9, 1970) is an American educator, author, and politician who is the 40th and current Mayor of Newark, New Jersey. He was previously a member of the Municipal Council of Newark and the principal of the city's Central ...
. After her resignation the Council voted to give the seat to her son Larry Crump.
She received awards such as the Susan Burgess Memorial Award for Exemplary Leadership from the National Democratic Municipal Officials. She received a Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award from the NJ chapter of the
American Society for Public Administration
American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) is a membership association of almost 10,000 professionals in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of gover ...
Crump founded Newark Women's Conference, Inc., an organization whose purpose is to promote the empowerment of women in Newark and vicinity. She also appeared on TV as host of “Straight Talk with Mildred Crump”. She was a founding member of the New Jersey Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., the National Political Congress for Black Women of Newark, and the Global Women's Leadership Collaborative of New Jersey. She is a past President and member of the board of trustees for Integrity House, Inc., Vice-chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Bridge to Recovery, charter member of the
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...
in Washington D.C., past chairman of the Board of Directors, Habitat for Humanity, Newark and Golden Heritage Life Member of the Newark Branch NAACP.