Robert Curvin
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Robert Curvin (February 23, 1934 – September 30, 2015) was an advocate for Newark, New Jersey, activist, and historian, who had a key role in the 1967 Newark riots.[1] He lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark and devoted much scholarly effort to the issue of urban poverty.[1]
Princeton University (Ph.D.)
Robert Curvin | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | February 23, 1934 |
| Died | September 30, 2015 (aged 81) |
| Education | Rutgers University (BS and MSW) Princeton University (Ph.D.) |
Early life and education
Curvin was born in Belleville, New Jersey[2] and raised in the township's Silver Lake section, where he graduated from Belleville High School in 1952 before enlisting in the United States Army.[3][4] He attended Rutgers University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1960 and his MSW in 1967. He went on to receive a PhD in political science from Princeton University in 1975.[5]
Activism
In 1960, Curvin helped found the Newark-Essex County chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality.[1]
During the Newark Riots, Curvin attempted to calm rioters.[1] Said historian Clement Price, "“He displayed immense personal courage during the height of the riots by grasping a bullhorn, climbing atop a car and exhorting a restive crowd not to riot and instead stage a peaceful march on City Hall,” [1]
Curvin campaigned for Newark's first Black mayor Kenneth A. Gibson and was a trusted advisor to Gibson.[6][7]
Curvin was a founder of New Community Corporation.[8]
Later life
Curvin was on The New York Times editorial board from 1978 to 1984.[1][8] He served as a dean of the Milano School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University and director of the Revson Foundation.[8] He also was a Senior Policy Fellow at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.[9] From 1988 to 2012, Curvin headed the Ford Foundation.[7] Curvin was a trustee of the Fund for the City of New York, the Victoria Foundation, Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Thirteen/ WNET and Princeton University.[8]
He received a 2015 Ryan Award for Commitment to NJPAC and Leadership in the City of Newark at NJPAC's 20th Annual Spotlight Gala and was a member of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.[8] He spent much of his last years in academic work writing his book Inside Newark.[7]
He died of multiple myeloma in 2015, at the age of 81.[2]
Personal life
Bibliography
- The Persistent Minority the Black Political Experience in Newark (Phd Dissertation, Princeton University)[10]
- Black Ghetto Politics in Newark after World War II, in Schwartz and Prosser eds., "Cities of the Garden State" (Kendall-Hunt Publ., 1977)
- Blackout Looting: New York City, July 13, 1977 (Gardner Press, 1979)
- Inside Newark: Decline, Rebellion, and the Search for Transformation (Rutgers University Press, 2014)
