Death Of Retired Circuit Court Judge, Civil Rights Activist Claudia Morcum Mourned By Community
DETROIT (WWJ) - Many are mourning the loss of civil rights activist and retired Wayne County Circuit Court Judge, Claudia Morcum.
Morcum died Sunday at her Detroit home. She was 82.
The Detroit native was a key figure in the civil rights movement. Morcum led the legal arm of the National Lawyers Guild in Mississippi--where she helped register voters and desegregate public facilities.
"Her legacy not only covers the social justice issue, legal issues but she was also an avid jazz fan ... she served on the jazz festival board also, and music and arts all of those things were part of Claudia's legacy," said 36th District Court Judge, Penny Millender
She says,"social justice was probably her favorite area to be involved in, even until her passing she was still active in the Cuban 5, she was speaking to many people about her travels to Mississippi- during the freedom summer and how that impacted upon her."
Millender was a young child when she met Morcum and credits her for her own career in law.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday August 23, 2014 at Plymouth United Church of Christ 600 E. Warren Avenue in Detroit.
A family hour will precede the service at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Judge Claudia House Morcom Annual Scholarship and sent to Wayne State University Fund Office, 5475 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48202. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Swanson Funeral Home in Detroit.