Black History

IN MEMORIAM: Remembering the life of Doris Turner Keys, a Civil Rights and Union Icon

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “I believe some of her endearing qualities was her unabiding love of family and friends, her big heart and generous spirit which always had her helping others, her unwavering commitment to pursuing social justice and helping working class people, and her ability to walk with kings and queens while keeping the common touch,” said Doris Turner Keys’ goddaughter, Karen Towns.

Published

7 years ago

January 1, 2019

Oakland Post

Photos Courtesy of the family of Doris Turner Keys

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Contributor
@StacyBrownMedia

Doris Turner Keys answered to many names – Doris, D, D.T., Dot, Doris Turner, Ms. Turner, Tish, Mrs. Keys, Mama Keys, Ma, Grandma, Aunt Doris (and more). But, those who knew her best remember her simply as a loving and caring individual who routinely sought to help others in need.

A noted civil rights and union leader, Keys served in many capacities that championed the causes of worker and civil rights as well as freedom, justice and equality.

Keys passed away in December. She was 88.

She was a longtime Labor and Industry Chairperson for the New Rochelle (N.Y.) Chapter of the NAACP.

At Keys’ recent celebration of life service, former Mount Vernon, N.Y., Mayor Ernest D. Davis and Local 1199 President George Grisham were among those who offered their respect.

Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, president of the NAACP New York State Conference and member of the NAACP National Board of Directors, wasn’t able to attend but had previously noted the contributions Keys made in advancing civil and social justice.

Keys’ goddaughter, Karen Towns, said she watched and learned from Keys at a young age and the matriarch had a great influence on her.

Photos Courtesy of the family of Doris Turner Keys

“Her legacy will live in the tens of thousands of people whose lives she touched. Whether [they are] those 1199 members who benefitted from the advancements of labor contracts that provided wages where they could take could take care of their families and send their kids to college; those who had better housing because of the housing plaza in east Harlem that opened during her tenure; [or] students who received college scholarships from the union which enabled many to be the first in their families to go to college,” Towns said.

She continued:

“Whether they are among those in the communities of Mt. Vernon and New Rochelle and elsewhere where through her church she cooked meals for the homeless every Saturday; as an entrepreneur she provided job opportunities and as a property owner she provided quality, affordable housing for families and commercial space for other entrepreneurs.

“And for her beloved family she has left an abundance of love along with a rich legacy of service, leadership and a constant reminder that we must always be doing something to make things better for others.”

The first-born daughter of Roy L. Turner and Luticia Stewart, Keys was born in Pensacola, Florida on June 20, 1930 at 8:00A.M. in the morning, according to her obituary.

Her early years were spent in Pensacola before moving to New York City. She was reared by her maternal grandmother, Clora Stewart, whose strict discipline and strong religious upbringing became the foundation and catalyst for her life’s mission and work.

Keys attended Booker T. Washington High School, graduating in the class of 1948, in Pensacola, Florida.

In 1956, Keys began work at Lenox Hill Hospital as a clerk in the dietary department.

In 1958, five of New York City’s largest hospitals went on strike for the first time in history with Keys active in leading a successful walkout at Lenox Hill Hospital.

The strike resulted in the beginning of organizing the poorly paid hospital workers in the city as Keys and others lobbied Gov. Nelson Rockefeller to support legislation for the hospital workers with the right to organize and bargain collectively.

She was one of four sitting at the table with Rockefeller as he signed the bill into law.

In 1960, Keys became an organizer for District 1199, which was then primarily a union of pharmacists and other drug store workers.

In 1968, after serving as an organizer, Keys became the director of 1199’s hospital division, the union’s largest division with some 40,000 members. Keys was later elected Executive Vice President of 1199.

In May of 1982, she was elected President of District 1199, winning the election by a 5-to-1 margin, becoming the largest AFL-CIO local union in the United States to be headed by a Black woman.

“Twenty-five years ago, when I came to this union, I never dreamed I would become its president,” Keys said at her swearing-in ceremony. “I also, never dreamed we would ever encounter so much division amongst us.” The election was the most hotly contested ever in District 1199.

Under Keys’ leadership, the union grew from 70,000 to over 130,00 members. As the New York union was growing, Keys was instrumental in organizing workers in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Maryland and Connecticut.

During that time, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., called upon the union for help on behalf of some hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina, a group of 500 Black women and 3 Black men.

After King’s death, Keys went to Charleston and worked with Coretta Scott King to help establish an organization of workers.

Later, they traveled to John Hopkins University in Maryland and Boston University in Massachusetts to talk to leaders, workers and community activists in the effort to continue the struggles to organize health care workers.

District 1199 was among the first unions to speak out against the Vietnam War and Keys represented the union at a protest march.

When more than a dozen hospitals were threatening to close in New York, District 1199 joined with other unions and marched on Albany demanding that the governor call a special session of the State Legislature to restore the budget cuts in Medicaid, welfare, school lunch and other programs that was so sorely needed in the poorest communities.

The march proved successful and Keys went on to become the first woman vice president of the RWDSU/AFL-CIO.

Keys spent the final 52 years of her life living in Mount Vernon.

She was appointed by the governor to the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council and has served as a member of the State of New York Commission of Health Education and Illness Prevention; the Mental Health Committee of the Community Council of Greater New York; the Committee for Health Care Services; and Board member of the Department for Professional Employees of the AFL-CIO.

Keys also was appointed to the New York City Human Rights Commission by three successive mayors.

“I believe some of her endearing qualities was her unabiding love of family and friends, her big heart and generous spirit which always had her helping others, her unwavering commitment to pursuing social justice and helping working class people, and her ability to walk with kings and queens while keeping the common touch,” Towns said.

“Watching Doris, I learned what it meant to be a successful leader while also being a mother, wife and all of the other roles we have.

“I remember watching her multitask on various issues happening with work while having a positive demeanor despite how difficult things were. I also recall her deep faith and belief in God which sustained her until the end,” she said.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

2018 YEAR IN REVIEW | Atlanta’s biggest hits in politics

Don't Miss

COMMENTARY: Christmastime conjures sweet reflections of growing up in Gary

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

2 days ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.