c. 1949 –
Vickie Donaldson was a leader of the Black Organization of students during the takeover of Conklin Hall in 1969, and joined the Board of Education at age 23. Later, she became the first woman to be General Counsel of the Newark Board of Education and served as Director of Homeless Services for the Newark Department of Health.
Vickie was grew up in Florida, and came to Rutgers in 1967. She was the most prominent Black woman in Black Organization of Students during the Conklin Hall takeover, a member of the founding body of the organization. By 1970, the Star Ledger listed her as co-chairman of the group. She was also a member of the College Admissions Committee at Rutgers.
Vickie married Curtis Corum in 1970, and graduated with a dual major in Sociology and Black Studies in 1971. In 1972, Vickie, who was living at 144 Pomona Ave, was appointed a member of the Board of Education at only 23. By that point, she had worked with the Urban League as director of student affairs and as a research associate at the Newark Housing Council.
From 1978 to 1982 Vickie helped plan and manage the first free-standing ambulatory surgical center in New Jersey: Newark Mini Surgi Site. She graduate Rutgers Law School in 1982 and was sworn into the Bar in 1983 and began practicing law, becoming General Counsel for the Board of Education, the first woman in the role, from 1984 to the end of 1987. She continued practicing in Newark, for example, representing a family in a case accusing the South Orange-Maplewood school district of discrimination and representing a group of Newark’s Black firefighters.
Vickie was appointed Director of Homeless Services for the City of Newark Department of Health in 2016 and served until about 2018. In Fall 2019, she taught “Race, Poverty and Protest” at Rutgers Newark in Conklin Hall.
Outside of Newark she served as Homeless and Housing Division Director for the Watts Labor Community Action Committee and program director for a residential homeless program in Philadelphia. Among other awards, Vickie was inducted into the Rutgers African American Alumni Hall of Fame in 2017. Her son Kai Campbell runs several award-winning restaurants in Newark.
Bibliography
Rutgers African American Alumni Alliance
“Newark Rutgers…” Star Ledger Nov 14, 1970
“Sworn to Board” Newark News July 12, 1972
Schwab, David and Knox, Adrienne “Out of Bounds” Star Ledger Sept 18, 1995
Sterling, Guy “Minority Hiring…” Star Ledger Feb 16, 1996
“Shelter Struggles…” Star Ledger Apr 30, 2017
https://www.linkedin.com/in/vickie-donaldson-9835a330/details/experience
Whitlow, Joan “Minor…” Star Ledger Jun 29, 1977
https://www.nj.com/essex/2018/05/newarks_homeless_shelter_closing_224_sussex_avenue.html