1930-2014
Born and raised in Newark, graduated East Side in 1948. She was a nurse (Martland), teacher and manager at the Newark Housing Authority.
Eatman was the first president of the Pennington Court Tenants Association and vice president of the Newark Tenants Council. She was also on the Executive Board of the Newark Teacher’s Union.
Among many other protests, in 1981, she was a plaintiff in a suit by tenants to force the NHA to modernize housing, charging that they failed to provide “decent, safe and sanitary” housing and in1980, she was part of a citywide rent srike.
Active in the South Street School PTA, which hosted a parent strike in 1969. Eatman also went to the March on Washington in 1983 and co-wrote a history of Pennington Court with Walter Chambers. She was interviewed for the Krueger Scott Oral History Project.
Bibliography
“Elsie Teresa Eatman” Star Ledger Sept 11, 2014
“Parent Strike Ends As Board Plans to Act” Star Ledger Feb 2, 1969
“Tenants Council Opens Drive with Emphasis on Involvement” Star Ledger Mar 12, 1984
“Newark Housing Agency to Hire a Deputy Chief” Star Ledger Mar 20, 1987
Byrd, Frederick “Newark Tenants Sue to Modernize Housing” Star Ledger May 7, 1981
Terrell, Stanley E. “Dream is Reborn for Newarkers Who Marched” Star Ledger Sept 7, 1983
“On Strike” Star Ledger Oct 13, 1980
Photo courtesy of Darnell Wolton
Digital collection Newark Library (including Pennington Court History)