Edith Savage Jennings- Getting to know Trenton and Ewing
Edith M. Savage-Jennings was born on March 17, 1924 in Jacksonville, Florida to her late parents Dave and Lillian Johnson. She was part of a large family being one of six children. While she was only two years old, both of her parents died and she and her siblings were taken in by her aunt. Shortly after the transition, the family relocated to New Jersey where Edith would later on start her journey as a civil rights activist. The beginning of Edith’s activist rush started in the early 1930s when she was introduced to First-Lady Eleanor Roosevelt from the New Jersey Federation of Colored Women’s Club. They became friends and stayed that way until Roosevelt died in 1962. When Savage-Jennings was 13 she helped construct the Capital Theater in Trenton. As time went on, she remained a local civil rights leader in New Jersey and spoke out against social injustice and discrimination. In 1957, she met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and they became close friends for eleven years. He would call her for opinions on different subject matters. Before he died, he asked her to remain close to his wife if anything was to happen. Edith never stopped at anything to fight for the rights that people deserved. She has one over a hundred awards and honors for her dedicated work regarding civil rights. She also was inducted into the New Jersey Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016. She then passes away at the age of ninety-three on November 12, 2017.
- Edith Savage-Jennings Day- February 19th
The City of Trenton declared that on February 19th it would be marked Edith Savage-Jennings day to commemorate the hard-work and dedication Edith put toward helping others and paving the way for future activists. It was to be celebrated every year in the city and state.
- Presidential Recognition
Edith has been a guest in the White House under every President of the United States since Franklin D. Roosevelt (10). They enjoy her company and wisdom in being a civil rights activist and appreciate the work and effort that she has done. Several Presidents have asked Savage-Jennings to do special missions, such as Kennedy, until he was assassinated. He asked her to defuse tensions in first graders with peaceful integration. Lyndon B. Johnson, who was the next president, asked her to continue the mission Kennedy asked her to do.
- Trenton Movie Theater (Capitol Theater)
When she was thirteen, her and a group of friends, decided to see a movie and sat in the second row near the orchestra and was told that she was in the wrong seat. This was because colored people at the time were supposed to sit in the balcony. She stayed seated during the whole movie despite people telling her to move and soon was not bothered again. She went back the next week and they didn’t say a thing. Thus, she integrated the Capitol Theater. This small act simply shows Edith’s bravery and persistency to gain the rights and the respect people deserve everyday.
Sources:
http://www.theridernews.com/2012/11/15/savage-jennings-well-were-not-moving/
https://upclosed.com/people/edith-savage-jennings/
