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Robert Curvin
Robert Curvin (February 23, 1934 – September 30, 2015) was an advocate for Newark, New Jersey, activist, and historian, who had a key role in the 1967 Newark riots.[1] He lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark and devoted much scholarly effort to the issue of urban poverty.[1] Early life and educationCurvin was born in Belleville, New Jersey[2] and raised in the township's Silver Lake section, where he graduated from Belleville High School in 1952 before enlisting in the United States Army.[3][4] He attended Rutgers University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1960 and his MSW in 1967. He went on to receive a PhD in political science from Princeton University in 1975.[5] ActivismIn 1960, Curvin helped found the Newark-Essex County chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality.[1] During the Newark Riots, Curvin attempted to calm rioters.[1] Said historian Clement Price, "“He displayed immense personal courage during the height of the riots by grasping a bullhorn, climbing atop a car and exhorting a restive crowd not to riot and instead stage a peaceful march on City Hall,” [1] Curvin campaigned for Newark's first Black mayor Kenneth A. Gibson and was a trusted advisor to Gibson.[6][7] Curvin was a founder of New Community Corporation.[8] Later lifeCurvin was on The New York Times editorial board from 1978 to 1984.[1][8] He served as a dean of the Milano School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University and director of the Revson Foundation.[8] He also was a Senior Policy Fellow at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.[9] From 1988 to 2012, Curvin headed the Ford Foundation.[7] Curvin was a trustee of the Fund for the City of New York, the Victoria Foundation, Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Thirteen/ WNET and Princeton University.[8] He received a 2015 Ryan Award for Commitment to NJPAC and Leadership in the City of Newark at NJPAC's 20th Annual Spotlight Gala and was a member of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.[8] He spent much of his last years in academic work writing his book Inside Newark.[7] He died of multiple myeloma in 2015, at the age of 81.[2] Personal lifeCurvin and his wife Patricia lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark.[7] They had a son and a daughter: Frank and Nicole.[7] Robert shares a daughter, Melanie Adams with the late Nannette Adams. Bibliography
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