Obituary

Mother Elnora Dillard, 95

Published

5 years ago

December 8, 2018

Mother Elnora Dillard died on Nov. 25 at the age of 95.
Born on February 23, 1923 to Sammy and Hattie Gibbs in Keithville, La., she confessed Christ as her personal savior at an early age and was baptized at Mount Bethel No.1 Baptist Church.
She married young to Floyd Anderson. The couple had one son, James Lee Anderson. Not long after marriage, she relocated to Oakland, where Henry “Hank” Anderson was born.
In 1947, she joined the Bible Fellowship Baptist Church under the late Rev. O.P. Smith. Her church membership continued under the pastoral leadership of the late Rev. A.Q. West and Dr. Timothy Hawkins.
She remained a faithful member and usher until her health failed.
In 1960, she met and married Ernest Dillard Sr. To this union was born Ernest Dillard, Jr. They provided a loving home for Ernest “Coolcat” and her son, Henry “Hank.” Mrs. Dillard, who was fondly known as Nora, was a woman of God and God-fearing – the presence of God was in her every conversation.
Her commitment and unconditional love for her family was exemplified in her daily life. She was a giving, helpful and determined individual.
A pillar in her neighborhood, she would often be found on her porch being greeted by everyone. She was also was very humorous.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Mack; her first born son, James L. Anderson; a daughter-in-law, Collette Anderson; three grandchildren, Michael, Marcus, and Ronnie; and two great- grandchildren.
She leaves to cherish her memory, two sons: Deacon Henry “Hank” Anderson and Ernest “Coolcat” Dillard and his wife, Evelyn Dillard; her sister, Pauline Wilson; a goddaughter, Marilyn-Earl Jefferson; her long-time best friend, OraLee Samuel; grandchildren: Lashawn, Angel, April, Johnathan, Sir Henry, Alfred, Lisa, Sonya, Tonya, Roshan, James Jr, and Kenisha; 30 great-grandchildren; 38 great -great-grandchildren, and a host of family and friends.

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IN MEMORIAM: Hughes Van Ellis, Survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, Dies at 102

Along with his older sister, Viola Fletcher, months-old Hughes Van Ellis fled the white mobs and fires that tore through the Greenwood District in Tulsa leaving behind rubble and ash. Not only did they lose their homes, they also lost a lifetime of opportunities, Van Ellis told CNN earlier this year. “I lost 102 years. I don’t want nobody else to lose that,” he said. “He died waiting on justice,” his grandnephew, Ike Howard, told CNN.

Published

7 months ago

October 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Hughes Van Ellis was still fighting for justice until his death Monday.File photo courtesy NNPA.

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Newswire

Hughes Van Ellis, one of the last three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, died at 102 on Monday, October 9, according to Oklahoma Democratic Rep. Regina Goodwin, who spoke on behalf of his family.

Ellis died Monday night in Denver, Colorado.

Along with his older sister, Viola Fletcher, months-old Ellis fled the white mobs and fires that tore through the Greenwood District in Tulsa leaving behind rubble and ash.

Not only did they lose their homes, they also lost a lifetime of opportunities, Van Ellis told CNN earlier this year. “I lost 102 years. I don’t want nobody else to lose that,” he said.

“He died waiting on justice,” his grandnephew, Ike Howard, told CNN.

Known affectionately as “Uncle Redd,” Ellis was a WWII war veteran and a symbol of resilience in the face of racial adversity.

Goodwin remarked, “He bravely served America, even as he spent a lifetime awaiting atonement related to the Tulsa Race Massacre, which occurred between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when white mobs violently attacked Black residents, destroying over 35 square blocks of the prosperous Greenwood District, known as “Black Wall Street.”

Goodwin, a staunch advocate for reparations for race massacre survivors, emphasized Ellis’ unwavering commitment to the cause.

“Two days ago, Mr. Ellis urged us to keep fighting for justice,” Goodwin noted. “In the midst of his death, there remains an undying sense of right and wrong. Mr. Ellis was assured we would remain steadfast, and we repeated to him, his own words, ‘We Are One,’ and we lastly expressed our love.”

Ellis leaves behind his sister Viola Fletcher and Lessie Randle as the last known living survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Ellis’ death was deeply mourned by the Diaspora African Forum (DAF), which fondly referred to him as Uncle Redd.

In tribute to his remarkable life and the enduring connection between the African diaspora and their heritage, Van Ellis was granted honorary Ghanaian citizenship.

Dr. Erieka Bennett, founder and head of mission for DAF, and Dr. Toni Luck organized the historic visit of Uncle Redd and Mother Fletcher to Ghana in August 2021. “Mr. Van Ellis’s existence illuminated the indomitable nature of the human spirit amidst overwhelming odds,” Dr. Bennett asserted.

“Granting him honorary Ghanaian citizenship was a gesture of profound respect for his enduring legacy.”

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Community

Charles ‘Chuck’ Cherry, Black Newspaper Publisher in Florida, Dies at 66

Charles W. “Chuck’’ Cherry II of Daytona Beach, a fierce advocate of the Black Press and a longtime warrior for social justice, died on Saturday, July 15, at age 66. Chuck Cherry retired as publisher of the Daytona Times and the Florida Courier in 2020 after running the Black newspapers’ editorial operations for decades.

Published

9 months ago

July 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Chuck Cherry published the Daytona Times and Florida Courier until 2020. Courtesy photo.

Charles W. “Chuck’’ Cherry II of Daytona Beach, a fierce advocate of the Black Press and a longtime warrior for social justice, died on Saturday, July 15, at age 66.

Chuck Cherry retired as publisher of the Daytona Times and the Florida Courier in 2020 after running the Black newspapers’ editorial operations for decades.

The retired attorney also was an author, speaker, radio broadcaster and strategic business planning consultant.

In 2019, he founded 623 Management, Inc., a company that focused on developing and disseminating messaging to Black America with a specific focus on understanding and reaching Florida’s Black population through a comprehensive marketing strategy.

He also was a sought-after speaker on Black history and civil rights in Daytona Beach and beyond.

Charles W. Cherry II was born on Aug. 6, 1956, in Daytona Beach to Julia T. Cherry and Charles W. Cherry, Sr., founder of the Daytona Times and Florida Courier newspapers. The senior Cherry also was a past president of the Florida NAACP and a former Daytona Beach city commissioner.

Admitted into the Florida Bar in December 1983, he was a former Fort Lauderdale city and South Florida state prosecutor, and practiced law for 21 years before returning to journalism and newspaper publishing as his primary occupation upon the death of Charles W. Cherry, Sr.

For more than 10 years, Chuck Cherry also served as general counsel to the Housing Authority of the City of Fort Lauderdale.

Along with being publisher of the newspapers, he served as general manager of the family-owned radio station WPUL-AM and for years was host of the station’s “Free Your Mind’’ radio show.

Jenise Griffin, who replaced Cherry as publisher in 2020, said, “Chuck Cherry was my longtime mentor and friend, and I am devastated by his passing. He was a giant in the journalism industry and his voice will be missed. As his award-winning column was titled, he told it ‘straight, no chaser.’ I admired him as a journalist, a brother with a great legal mind, and an awesome father.’’

She added, “Although he was no longer a working member of the Daytona Times and Florida Courier, the staffers often still reached out to him for advice and insight on their editorial projects.’’

Plans for a public memorial service are in the works. In lieu of flowers, the Cherry family is requesting that donations be made to the Charles W. Cherry Sr. Endowed Scholarship Fund via giving.morehouse.edu.

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Bay Area

Former BART Director Margaret Pryor, 89

Published

9 months ago

July 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Margaret Pryor

Margaret Katherine Riley Pryor, 89, passed away peacefully at home in Moreno Valley, California during the early morning hours of July 8, 2023. She was born on Nov. 10, 1933, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to parents Katie Jasper Drake and Luther L. Thompson. After her family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, she graduated from Phoenix Technical High School and later attended Arizona State University.

She married the late O.D.V. Owens in 1953 and from that union Malcolm D. Owens and Cheryl Y. Owens were born. She married the late Roy A. Pryor in 1964.

Margaret was first elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board of Directors in 1980. She served as the BART board president for three terms.

A tireless advocate of access to public transportation in underserved communities, she made sure Bay Area communities’ interests were represented on all vital transportation industry issues, particularly advocating for increased funding for public transportation and passenger rail in the community she served.

Margaret was also influential in the founding of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). She was a member of Bay Area Christian Connection in Oakland, California.

She was preceded in her death by husband Roy A. Pryor, her mother Katie Jasper Drake and father Luther L. Thompson, half-brother Luther James Thompson and half-sisters Wanda Dorsey and Patsy Atkins.

Margaret is survived by her children: Malcolm D. Owens and Cheryl Y. Owens; grandchildren Tente S. Owens (Naykeya), Malcolm C. Owens, Jr. (Christie), and L. Alexander ‘Alex’ Williams III; great-grandchildren: Spring M. Owens, Malcolm Brayden Owens, Mckenzie R. Owens, Maverick C. Owens, Logan A. Williams, Justin A. Williams; step-great-grandchildren Jazmin M. Guidry, Taylor M. Miller, and Seoul M. Worrell; half-sisters: Althea Banner, Angela Bailey (James) and Tarvis Parks.

Margaret leaves many other loved ones and friends to mourn her loss.

She will be remembered as a strong and intelligent woman who impacted many lives throughout her lifespan. Her remains will be interred with her husband, Roy A. Pryor, at Rolling Hills Memorial Park in Richmond, California. Services will be private.