UC hosts memorial for Marian Spencer
A celebration of life for the activist and alumna takes place Saturday, Aug. 10, at UC’s Fifth Third Arena
Event Information (passed)
The University of Cincinnati will host a memorial for civil rights icon and alumna Marian Spencer 3-5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10 at UC’s Fifth Third Arena. A reception will follow in the arena’s east concourse.
WLWT news anchor Courtis Fuller will serve as emcee. The program includes:
- Ritual ceremonies by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and The Links, Incorporated
Invocation by Rev. David J. Brentley, associate pastor, New Vision United Methodist Church
Remarks by UC President Neville G. Pinto; Spencer’s sons Donald Spencer, Jr., and Edward Spencer; Robert S. Brown; Hon. Nathaniel R. Jones, Blank Rome LLP, retired circuit judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit; Roxanne Qualls, former aide to Spencer and former mayor, City of Cincinnati; Bleuzette Marshall, PhD, vice president for equity, inclusion & community impact, University of Cincinnati; Laura Mitchell, superintendent, Cincinnati Public Schools; Aliyana, Serenity, Janyia & Nakia, Winton Hills Montessori, authors and illustrators, “Marian Spencer, A Light in the Darkness”; and Hon. Cheryl D. Grant, retired judge and associate minister, Zion Baptist Church
Musical selections by the New Vision United Methodist Church Choir and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra String Quartet
Keynote address by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., pastor emeritus, Mount Olive Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio
Benediction by Rev. Jeannine L. Walker, senior pastor, New Vision United Methodist Church
All are welcome to attend. Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Parking on UC’s campus will be free.
After 99 years of service to her community, Marian Spencer died on Tuesday, July 9, 2019. A civil rights pioneer, Spencer's name will be forever remembered on UC’s campus, a place she and her late husband, Donald Spencer, forever changed and meaningfully reshaped.
Read more about Spencer’s legacy at UC, across Cincinnati and beyond.
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