A champion of the city of Hartford has died.
Trude Mero was a humanist, an activist, and a dedicated African American leader in the city of Hartford for decades. That's how Mayor Pedro Segarra remembered her in a statement.
Mero was also one of the founders of Project Concern, one of the first voluntary school desegregation programs in the country.
"Back then, there were a lot of suburban towns that were like, 'Um, no, thank you,' to the idea of having Hartford kids go to school in their district.'"
That's Andrea Comer, a member of the state board of education.
"And she just would not give up. Because she said, 'Until Hartford does a better job of educating children, we are going to explore as many options as possible for them.'"
Mero was also relentless when it came to fighting for jobs for Hartford residents -- especially during the era of heavy state investment in the city's downtown.
Here's what she told me in 2011.
"I saw how when the Irish controlled everything. And I saw the Italians. We were right there with them because we knew that when they made inroads, we made them, too...Once people share in the political arena, they say, 'We have a slice of the pie and then we want to pick the flavor.' What's wrong with that?"
Mero served on numerous boards and commissions. She served as an executive assistant to four Connecticut governors. Her husband, Wilfred Johnson, was the first African American elected to the state legislature. She was 85.
For WNPR, I'm Jeff Cohen.