We Stand Up For All heartbreakingly announces the passing of our founder, the legendary Baltimore civil rights icon Rev. Annie Chambers
BALTIMORE, MD – It is with profound sadness that our organization, We Stand Up For All (part of the OCNA) announces the passing of our beloved founder, Rev. Annie Chambers, legendary civil rights leader, community mother, and lifelong champion of the poor. She was 84. Rev. Annie Chambers passed away July 2, shortly before midnight. […] The post We Stand Up For All heartbreakingly announces the passing of our founder, the legendary Baltimore civil rights icon Rev. Annie Chambers appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
Black News 
BALTIMORE, MD – It is with profound sadness that our organization, We Stand Up For All (part of the OCNA) announces the passing of our beloved founder, Rev. Annie Chambers, legendary civil rights leader, community mother, and lifelong champion of the poor. She was 84.
Rev. Annie Chambers passed away July 2, shortly before midnight. She leaves behind an unparalleled legacy of grassroots activism and unconditional love for her people, her family, her community, and all those that struggle to survive.
Throughout her life, Rev. Chambers faced overwhelming odds and deep personal hardships. Yet, she transformed every challenge she endured into a fierce, ordained mission to fight for the rights of everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us. From her early days with the Black Panther Party, Malcolm X, and the original 1960s Poor People’s Campaign, to her foundational work with the Baltimore and National Welfare Rights Organization, she never backed down from a fight for justice.
“She transformed every challenge she endured into a fierce, ordained mission to fight for the rights of everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us.”
As a longtime resident and tenant leader at Baltimore’s Douglass Homes, Rev. Annie Chambers was the uncompromising voice of the poor, working class, and those experiencing homelessness. Whether she was organizing food giveaways for her neighbors, ministering to the incarcerated, fighting against the privatization of public housing, or fighting to keep the electricity on for struggling families illegitimately being billed by public housing, she firmly believed that the basic necessities of life belonged to the people.
Details regarding a memorial service and ways the public can continue to support her ongoing community initiatives will be announced in the coming days. Rev. Chambers often said she was ordained by God to stay in the battle for justice, and she spent every day of her life fulfilling that calling. If upon hearing the news of her passing you feel compelled to give immediately please reach out to one of the organizations listed below.
Rev. Chambers worked with hundreds of organizations over her lifetime in Baltimore and beyond. Here are just a few of the very last organizations she worked with, recommended and wholeheartedly supported to fulfill her work in Baltimore: People’s Power Assembly, Struggle La Lucha, Ujima People’s Progress Party and New Harvest Ministries. In addition to those, she had her own organization, We Stand Up For All, that she founded with her longtime ally and protege, Ian Schlakman.
Your thoughts, prayers, and continued dedication to Rev. Chambers’ mission are the greatest gifts. We strongly encourage those seeking to support or continue her work to reach out to any and all of the organizations above. However, if you feel especially moved to send flowers or tokens of remembrance, they may be sent to her local church of worship and service, New Harvest Ministries (link above), which said prayers in a special way for her during Sunday service on July 5.
She is survived by her 25 children, hundreds of grandchildren and great-children. Her daughter, Dena Smith, a radio show host like her mother, also followed her mother (and her grandfather before her) into the ministry to serve God and fight injustice in his name. Dena has graciously made herself available for any comments or contact with the family. If you wish to support the family directly as they navigate this tremendous loss, please contact her at the information below.
Organization Contact: Ian Schlakman, Co-Founder OCNA: We Stand Up For All | Phone: 410-996-4848 | Email: ian@forallof.us | Website: https://forallof.us
Family Contact: Dena Smith, Daughter of Annie Chambers | Phone: (443) 415-8529 | Email: smithgeraldine266@gmail.com
SOURCE: We Stand Up For All
The post We Stand Up For All heartbreakingly announces the passing of our founder, the legendary Baltimore civil rights icon Rev. Annie Chambers appeared first on AFRO American Newspapers.
