To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Gioia, District I Supervisor
Report Title: Honoring Irma Anderson for Her Legacy of Leadership and Service in Richmond and Contra Costa County.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Pass resolution honoring the late Irma Anderson for her Legacy of Leadership and Service in Richmond and Contra Costa County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
BACKGROUND:
See Resolution.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
N/A
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
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IN THE MATTER OF HONORING IRMA ANDERSON FOR HER LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP AND CIVIC CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE RICHMOND AND CONTRA COSTA COUNTY COMMUNITIES
WHEREAS, Irma Anderson, born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, went on to become the second African American student to graduate from Cornell School of Nursing;
WHEREAS, Irma came to Richmond, CA in 1959 with her husband, Rev. Booker T. Anderson Jr. who would himself serve as a Mayor, City Councilmember, and Pastor of Easter Hill United Methodist Church;
WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson had two sons, Ahmad and Wilbert, whom Irma was very proud of;
WHEREAS, Irma worked as a Public Health Nurse and top administrator for the Contra Costa County Health Department and earned her Master’s Degree from UC Berkeley School of Public Health;
WHEREAS, Irma was the first African-American Director of Public Health Nursing in Contra Costa;
WHEREAS, after retiring as Contra Costa’s Director of Public Health Nursing in 1992, Irma was elected to the Richmond City Council with the highest number of votes ever in the history of council elections, becoming the first African-American woman to serve on the City Council;
WHEREAS, Irma, after two successful terms on the City Council, was elected Mayor of Richmond, becoming the first and currently only African-American woman elected Mayor of Richmond;
WHEREAS, during her tenure as Mayor, Irma helped advance a range of positive improvements in the City of Richmond, including the creation of hundreds of new businesses and affordable housing units, passing a balanced budget, creating the Office of Violence Prevention, expanding after-school programs, garnering millions of dollars from the state which culminated in Richmond Ferry Service, helped establish a culture in which violence is addressed through holistic public health efforts rather than solely through law enforcement, served on Bay Area regional commissions on transportation, housing, health and public safety; and more.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: that Contra Costa County recognizes and honors Irma Anderson for her decades of community service to advance equity, health, affordable housing, and quality of life in Richmond and Contra Costa County.
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