Bernadine Newsom Denning (1930 – January 11, 2011) was an educator and civil rights activist recognised in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.

Biography

Denning née Newsom was born in 1930 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. At the age of 16, she taught swimming at the Lucy Thurman branch of the Detroit

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

. In 1951, she began work as a physical education teacher in Detroit public schools; she retired as assistant superintendent for community relations. She was also assistant professor of education at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. She served on the board of trustees for Central Michigan University. Denning was director of the

Title IV Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) covers the administration of the United States federal student financial aid programs. American colleges and universities are generally classified with regard to their inclusion under Title IV, ...

office for Detroit public schools and director of the human rights office for the city of Detroit. She was named director of the Office of Revenue Sharing for the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

by president

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

. From 1975 to 1977, she was a member of the Michigan Women's Commission, also serving as vice-chair from 1976 to 1978, being appointed to chair in 1981 by governor William Milliken and serving until 1987. She was national vice-president and chairperson for the YWCA Convention, national vice president for the

National Council of Negro Women The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the f ...

and national project chairperson of Delta Sigma Theta. In 1989, she was named to the

Michigan Women's Hall of Fame The Michigan Women's Hall of Fame (MWHOF) honors distinguished women, both historical and contemporary, who have been associated with the U.S. state of Michigan. The hall of fame was founded in 1983 by Gladys Beckwith and is sponsored by the Michi ...

. She also received the National Lifetime Achievement Award from the American YWCA. As well as the Detroit Urban League's Distinguished Warrior Award, and the Spirit of Detroit Award. Denning married basketball player Blaine Denning around 1957. The couple moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

around 2001. She died at the age of 80 after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

at home in

Port St. Lucie, Florida Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...

. She was survived by her sister, Ruby Graham, as well as two grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denning, Bernadine Newsom 1930 births 2011 deaths Educators from Michigan 20th-century American women educators Activists for African-American civil rights Activists from Detroit African-American activists 20th-century American educators University of Michigan faculty United States Department of the Treasury officials Carter administration personnel