Rest in Peace, Honorable Mildred C. Crump of Newark

Legendary local leader and historic public servant of distinction, former Newark City Council President Mildred C. Crump, has died.

She was 86.

Mildred Crump served as a city councilwoman from 1994 to 1998 and again from 2006 to 2021. She was the first Black woman to serve on the city’s governing body, defeating Donald Tucker in a 1994 runoff election. She served as mayor during the time of Sharpe James, Cory Booker and Ras Baraka served on the council. A graduate of Rutgers-Newark with a master’s degree in public administration, the Honorable Ms. Crump was New Jersey’s first African American Braille teacher. In 2020, the New Jersey State League of Municipalities inducted Ms. Crump into its Hall of Fame.

Her son, Larry Crump, serves as a Newark city councilman. This morning he posted the following on Facebook: “After 31 years, my mother is reunited with the love of her life…She loved what she did. To be a public servant for the people.”

He also shared this picture of his mother with an official statement from the Crump Family:

And her daughter, Sage Crump, posted this:

“A sequoia tree fell in the forest.

“Early this morning, my mother, Mildred Joyce Coleman Crump, became, above all, a most treasured ancestor. She understood her purpose and lived a life full of purpose, rigor, community, faith and love. Proof of how she has shown herself is that EVERY SINGLE PERSON my brother Larry Crump and I spoke to this morning said, “What can I do?” Saying she’s missing is , like saying water is wet and fatbacks make vegetables delicious (Ask me about our Thanksgiving cooking arguments). As in life, I know she takes her duty as an ancestor seriously and likes to keep busy, so don’t hesitate to visit her. We are grateful to have shared it with so many and that will not change now.”

Larry Crump, a former chief of staff for his mother, told InsiderNJ in 2022 that he had been learning the tough local political craft since the time his mother first won her council seat in 1994. “We do our best to help, and “I’ve helped people who have called me every name but the Son of God,” CLarry Rump said with a laugh. “Some people who scream need help, and no matter what side of the election you are on, you help. I learned that from my mother. Often the same people who had yelled at them and insulted them would come to the office and ask for money or support.”

Pictured above: Newark Council President Mildred C. Crump (center) received the Trailblazer Award from the Democratic State Committee and celebrated with, from left: T. Missy Balmir, Sherryl Gordon Hall, Truscha Quatrone and Rep. Verlina Reynolds -Jackson (D-15).

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