DORIS PRICE: A LEGACY IN BLACK ACTIVISM
My grandmother, Doris Lyons Price, was an activist and leader in her community. She was bold, she was brave and she was strong. My grandmother worked in the '60s and '70s as a collaborator with civic leaders and Black activists to invoke change in Rochester NY and in her community.
Doris became a real estate agent in her mid-30s to advocate for Black families in Rochester who were being denied the right to buy homes. She knew her experience, outspoken nature, and willingness to fight for these families would give them access to purchase housing. She, along with my grandfather, were the two most important real estate agents for Black families in Rochester, NY, when they needed someone to fight for them in order to purchase a home. After my grandfather's passing, Doris continued to advocate for housing and even became the Chairman of the housing committee for the NAACP.
Corn Hill Methodist Episcopal Chruch on Edinburgh Street Rochester, NY. Doris Price is pictured left sitting. Malcom X is to the right standing. This would be the last lecture Malcolm X gave, five days later he was assassinated at the Audubon Balloon in Harlem NY.
My grandmother also encouraged people in her community to go to Selma and the March Washington. She shared with them the importance of these upcoming events and how it was pivotal to be a part of them if they wanted equity and rights for Black and other marginalized people.
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Doris was also responsible for founding the Black Panther Party chapter in Rochester and worked with schools and community centers to get kids free meals. It was through this chapter of the Black Panther Party that my grandmother and Representative Connie Mitchell brought Malcolm X to Rochester where he gave his final public speech at Corn Hill Methodist Church on February 16th, 1965.
Out of her home, my grandmother began the Price and Brown African American Bookstore in 1967. Her main objective was to bring a variety of Black books written by black authors to public and charter schools in Rochester, NY so that Black children could know their true history and be change-makers themselves.
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Doris knew she had to find a way to give Black children access to books with examples and mirrors of themselves that they had never seen before. She gave children the opportunity to realize “that could be me,” as they looked inside these books and finally saw themselves reflected in the characters.
Doris in front of the bookstore, Rochester, NY - 1969
Doris was a strong leader who was never afraid to share her opinions, and she would always speak up for what was right! “She knew everyone and everyone knew her” I have heard so many people say about Doris. I cannot wait for more people to know who she was and learn more about her impact on her community in Rochester, NY, and beyond.
