Madeline Wheeler Murphy facts for kids
Madeline Wheeler Murphy (born October 24, 1922 – died July 8, 2007) was an important African-American community activist. She worked hard for civil rights and helped people who were poor. She was also a regular guest on the Baltimore TV show Square Off.
Early Life
Madeline W. Murphy was born in Boston on October 24, 1922. She grew up in Wilmington, Delaware. She was one of three children.
She went to public schools in Wilmington and was the top student (valedictorian) when she graduated from Howard High School. She studied at Temple University in Philadelphia for two years. There, she met her future husband, Judge William H. Murphy Sr., at a dance.
Madeline and William married in 1942. They were together until Judge Murphy passed away in 2003. They lived in Delaware and Chicago for a short time. Then, in 1945, they moved to the Baltimore area. After a year, they moved to Cherry Hill. This was a neighborhood in Baltimore where mostly Black families with lower incomes lived.
Helping the Community
Madeline Murphy was a writer, community organizer, and activist. She worked for social, racial, and economic justice. She used her writing and took part in many community activities. For sixty years in Baltimore, she was involved in many groups. She even ran for City Council when she lived in Cherry Hill, though she didn't win. She worked on 14 different political campaigns over 26 years.
After volunteering for 15 years, she became the director of community services for the Cherry Hill Community Presbyterian Church. She worked there from 1959 to 1969. In this role, she created programs to help people learn to read (literacy), understand politics, and develop youth.
The church was a place where many Cherry Hill residents could get help. They found food, clothes, advice, and job placement there. It was also a center for community organizing. People worked together to solve problems like the lack of affordable housing and issues faced by people receiving welfare. Because of her leadership, a state-funded day care center was created at the church. It helped welfare recipients and people in job training programs.
Murphy also organized one of the first groups of neighborhood VISTA volunteers. This group later became active in the National Welfare Rights Organization. They also helped organize tenants. Throughout her life, she guided many African-American women in Baltimore. Her community work was both personal and public, helping people directly and through larger civic efforts.
Madeline Murphy was a founding commissioner on the board of Baltimore's Anti-Poverty Program. She also worked on the Community Action Commission. From 1969 to 1972, she was a training officer in the Community Action Agency. She also helped coordinate a college course called "Perspectives on Race" at Dickinson College.
Public Life and Media
Madeline Murphy was also a well-known public figure. She worked as a commentator on local television and radio. In 1976, she was a regular guest host on the Larry Angelo Show. She brought interesting Black guests to the program.
She also worked as a guest reporter on Black Point and Black News Conference on Baltimore's WJZ-TV. Murphy wrote and broadcast a weekly commentary for the Morgan State University radio station WEAA. This was part of its program Impact News. However, she was most famous as a panelist on the WJZ-TV show Square Off. She appeared on this show from 1976 until 1986.
As a print journalist, Murphy wrote an editorial column for the Baltimore Afro-American Newspaper for 21 years. Later, she wrote for the Baltimore Times. A book called Madeline Murphy Speaks collects the best of these articles.
Personal Life
Madeline Murphy traveled a lot around the United States, North Africa, the Caribbean, China, and Europe. She wrote many articles about her travels. She visited countries like the former Soviet Union (Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan), East Germany, Cuba, and China in 1985.
She was married for 54 years to Judge William H. Murphy Sr. She passed away from a heart attack at home when she was 84 years old. She was survived by her sister, Mary Ann Franklin, and her children: William H. Murphy, Jr. (a lawyer), Madeline Murphy Rabb, Arthur W. Murphy, Houston W. Murphy, and Laura W. Murphy (who worked for the ACLU). She also had ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
