“Trailblazer” is a word often over-used. But it is a word that perfectly fits the life and career of Evelyn Cunningham, who died in Harlem in late April. Evelyn Cunninham as a crusading journalist, astute political counselor and community activist, and her achievements, often forged against seemingly impenetrable barriers, were of a magnitude that should make all of us say to ourselves: “I’ve got to work harder.”

David N. Dinkins, the former Mayor of New York, was among Evelyn Cunningham’s closest friends. He kindly shared with TheDefendersOnline.com the tribute he paid her at her funeral at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church:

– The Editors

Mayor Bloomberg; Dick (Richard D. Parsons, Chairman of CitiGroup); family and friends of Evelyn Cunningham. Good afternoon. This has been a tough year for the Harlem community. With the passing of Evelyn Cunningham, we have lost another of the legends of the Harlem community. Our losses mount as our generation ages, but when one such as Evelyn Cunningham passes, the loss is somewhat easier to bear because she has left such an indelible mark on our community.

Evelyn once told a Daily News reporter that “Harlem is my home, and I will never leave it.” And, because she will long be remembered by the people of this Village, she will never leave Harlem.

Ninety-four at the time of her passing, Evelyn was still the model of the “modern woman” – an independent thinker who inspired generations of young women of color to dream big dreams…and do what it takes to make them come true. She was a strong and committed champion of the rights of women, long before “feminism” became a buzz-word, and the pursuit of opportunities for women was her passion.

A founding member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women – an organization of which I am proud to be considered a “godfather” – Evelyn’s contributions to the civic life of New York City focused largely on issues concerning women. She served on President Richard Nixon’s Task Force on Women’s Rights & Responsibilities, as Director of the Women’s Unit under Governors Nelson Rockefeller and Malcolm Wilson, and as a member of commissions and task forces on the status of women and women’s issues under several New York City mayors, including me and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As a journalist, Evelyn’s observations and commentaries during the Civil Rights Movement earned her a reputation as a trailblazer. She had a real connection with the subjects of her reporting and dealt with difficult issues and circumstances with the courage, frankness and flair that was her trademark.

She brought a special zest to her work at the Pittsburgh Courier and, later, hosting her own radio show at WLIB. Through her feisty spirit, her dogged persistence, and her steadfast unwillingness to compromise the truth, she made a difference in many lives during very trying and often dangerous times.

I am reminded of Evelyn’s feisty spirit in the words of our beloved Dr. Maya Angelou in her poem “Still I Rise”:

“Just like moons and like suns, with the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.”

“Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops. Weakened by my soulful cries.”

“You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.”

A recipient of the George Polk Award for reporting and the Century Club’s Women of the Century Award, she received many tributes during her lifetime, but perhaps the most enduring were the people of all ages and walks of life who visited her Riverside Drive apartment seeking her analysis, her advice and her conversation until the day she died.

Evelyn enjoyed the company of other people, and seemed happiest when surrounded by people who were interesting and who were interested in others as well. Her zest for life was contagious and her delight in other people seemed without limits. She was a prominent figure in Harlem’s social scene and friend to many of the most accomplished figures of our times – Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Malcolm X – but Evelyn never measured her own success by the company she kept or who she knew.

In fact, when Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote of the meaning of a successful life, it is as if he had our friend Evelyn in his thoughts. Emerson wrote that:

“To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;

To leave the world a little better – whether by a healthy child, a garden patch

or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is the meaning of success.”

Evelyn Cunningham knew the meaning of success, and her life was lived in light of that knowledge. And now we say goodbye and thanks to a lovely woman. She fought the good fight, she finished her course, she kept the faith and now she can rest.

The passing of one whose light shone so brightly gives us reason to mourn, but her very brilliance also gives us so much to celebrate. We find it difficult to accept her passing but, in the timeless words of Ecclesiastes, “There is no man hath power over the spirit to retain the Spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death; there is no discharge in that war.”

We have no power over death, but we do have some power over life – the power to live it to its fullest. She lived a long, rich life, but we would certainly have wanted more years to enjoy her company. We must remember, however, that it is not how long she lived among us, but how well she lived those days she was given. And Evelyn Cunningham lived every minute of her 94 years!

I know that it is impossible to say any words that can console those she held so dear. I can only hope that we will, in time, find some consolation in our faith that death is not the end. As Dr. Martin Luther King said: “Death is not a period that ends the great sentence of life, but a comma that punctuates it to more lofty significance…death is not a blind alley that leads into a state of nothingness, but an open door which leads into life eternal.”

And so today, as we mourn the loss of Evelyn Cunningham, let us also celebrate a life well lived, one filled with tremendous energy and an indomitable spirit. And let us be truly thankful that we were fortunate enough to share it.

Evelyn Elizabeth Long Cunningham has left us with so much more than memories – she has left us a rich legacy of her strength, a legacy of her warmth and charm, and a legacy of the great gift of her courage.

It is said, my friends, that service to others is the rent we pay for our space on earth. Evelyn Cunningham departed us paid in full. Let her not look down and find any of us in arrears.

God Bless You, and Keep the Faith.