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CARING AND RESILIENT.
TWO WORDS THAT COME TO MIND
WHEN PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT
LILLIAN MARTIN.
SHE WAS ACTIVE IN THE TWIN
CITIES DURING THE '70s AND '80s
SERVING ON MANY BOARDS AND
COMMISSIONS.
HER HAMLEY IS REMEMBERING HER
AS A -- HER FAMILY IS
REMEMBERING HER AS A WOMAN WHO
CARED DEEPLY ABOUT SOCIAL
ISSUES AND RAISED SIX CHILDREN
ON HER OWN.
Reporter: LAUREN MILLER HAS
PLENTY OF MEMORIES OF HER
GRANDMOTHER AND A COLLECTION OF
HUNDREDS OF COLUMNS HER GRANDMA
WROTE FOR AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
NEWSPAPER CALLED THE TWIN
CITIES COURIER.
SHE WROTE ABOUT A LOT OF
ISSUES THAT HIT HOME PERSONALLY
FOR HER AND WERE CENTRAL POINTS
OF CONVERSATION ESPECIALLY THE
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AREA.
Reporter: SHE HAD PLENTY TO
WRITE ABOUT.
HER FIRST MARRIAGE TO HER HIGH
SCHOOL SWEETHEART ENDED IN
HEARTBREAK.
SHE ACTUALLY SUPPORTED MY
GRANDFATHER THROUGH MEDICAL
SCHOOL AND THEN AFTER HE LEFT
THE FAMILY SHE ACTUALLY RAISED
SIX KIDS ON HER OWN.
Reporter: IN ADDITION TO
WORKING FULL TIME AT FIRST
NATIONAL BANK, LILLIAN SERVED
ON THE MINNESOTA HUMAN RIGHTS
COUNCIL.
HER INTEREST IN HUMAN RIGHTS
STEMMED FROM HER CHILDHOOD
EXPERIENCES IN SEGREGATED
LOUISIANA.
SHE OFTEN SHARED HER MEMORY OF
NOT BEING ALLOWED TO GO INSIDE
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
HER MOM WAS LIKE, WE CAN'T
GO IN THERE.
SHE IS LIKE, WHY NOT?
BECAUSE WE ARE BLACK AND BLACKS
AREN'T ALLOWED IN THE LIBRARY.
MY GRANDMA SAID FROM THAT YOUNG
AGE SHE WAS UNPURE --
INFURIATED.
Reporter: SHE SERVED ON THE
ON THE THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
I THINK SHE REALLY WAS ABLE
TO EMPATHIZE AND BE
COMPASSIONATE ESPECIALLY WITH
OTHER WOMEN.
THE CHALLENGES THAT I HAVE GONE
THROUGH I LITERALLY ALWAYS
THINK ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER
DURING THEM AND THINK IF SHE
GOT THROUGH WHAT SHE GOT
THROUGH, LIKE THERE IS NO
REASON WHY I CAN'T GET THROUGH
THIS AND COME OUT STRONGER.
Reporter: ANGELA DAVIS, WCCO
4 NEWS.
LILLIAN LIZEN BERRY MARTIN
PASSED AWAY ON SEPTEMBER 13th.
