Emily Hart-Holifield who served Compton College as a member of its Board of Trustees passes away. Announced by her husband Benjamin Holifield the morning after making a heartfelt plea to Compton City Council to consider a long awaited resolution in support of restoring her name to the library at Compton College.
Emily Hart-Holifield served as a member of Compton College Board of Trustees for 20 years and was elected as its President, Vice President and Clerk during her tenure. Making history as the first woman elected to its board; its board voted by resolution to name its Library after her. Decades later after the loss of its accreditation her physical name was removed from the building. Since then Hart-Holifield and an organized group of community members have been advocating to have her name restored.
Numerous request have been made by Councilman Isaac Galvan at numerous council meetings have been met with distention or silence by its members. A most recent request was placed on the council agenda by city staff asking for direction on how to proceed.
What is so difficult about drafting a resolution in support of restoring Emily Hart-Holifield’s name to the library at Compton College? Mrs. Hart-Holifield made black history and women’s history here in our community. I have requested numerous times for a resolution be created and now instead of a resolution being created it’s on the agenda asking if a letter should be drafted. We have created resolutions in support of all types of things but even at the end of women’s history month there seems to be a problem with this request.
Councilman Isaac Galvan
Emily Hart-Holifield a long time educator for Compton Unified School District also organized the first block club in the City of Compton. A resolution in support of placing Emily Hart-Holifield’s name to back on the Compton College library was last mentioned at March 15, 2022 meeting of the Compton City Council.
Skyy Fisher is an opinion writer and can be reached at info@skyyfisher.com.
