Mignon Barker Richmond was a community organizer, an advocate for children, and the first Black person to graduate from college in Utah.
In short
Mignon Barker Richmond (her first name is pronounced Min-yawn) believed that she could make a difference, even in the face of racism and discrimination. She went from being the first Black person to graduate from college in Utah to working for the President of the United States. She worked hard to help those around her and advocate for children throughout Utah.
Growing up
Richmond was a hard worker. At just 13 years old she was hired to be a housekeeper, which means she would clean and organize the whole house for the family she worked for. This job gave her the money she needed to go to school, and in 1917 she graduated from West High School in Salt Lake City. She then went to Utah State Agriculture College, which we know today as Utah State University in Logan, Utah. At that time, very few people of color were admitted into colleges. She faced many challenges as a Black student, but she was determined to succeed. She earned her degree in home living, textiles, and foods, and was the very first Black person to graduate from college in Utah.
It wasn’t easy
Few employers in Utah were willing to hire a Black woman, even though Richmond had a college degree, so she had a hard time finding a job in her field. She continued working as a housekeeper and maid and volunteered wherever possible. During World War II, she volunteered with the Red Cross and for hospitals in Salt Lake City, and she got a job with the United Service Organizations (USO) managing their youth volunteers. Richmond’s work with children did not stop there.
An advocate for children and people everywhere
In 1948, the University of Utah hired her to start the first school lunch program in Utah, making sure students got at least one healthy meal while they were at school. She also created and taught classes for troubled youth at the Utah State Industrial School. She then became the YWCA Food Services Director in 1957. From there her work continued and she tutored children while also serving on many boards and committees. She worked on many community projects that advocated for many children and people in Utah.
She wanted to do more to help Black children in Utah since she knew how hard it was to face racism and prejudice. She worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and helped to found the Nettie Gregory Center in Salt Lake City. The center offered a safe place for Black youth and other children to gather. After she retired, she worked for President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration as the head of the Women’s Job Corps and the chairwoman of Project Medicare Alert. She helped advocate for women’s jobs and helped senior citizens through these programs.
Richmond had no children of her own, but when she married Thomas Richmond in 1933, she raised her stepdaughter Ophelia Richmond. She also helped to raise the children in her community through her work: she once said, “my life has been children.”
A lifetime of service
Richmond knew how important it was to stick up for her rights and the rights of others. She spent her life advocating for people who needed help and she lived her life helping others. When she passed away in 1984, Richmond Park in Salt Lake City was named in her honor. In 2022 a mural was installed in Richmond Park honoring Mignon and three other Black women who played significant roles in Utah’s history.
By Eliza Carr
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