Pittsburgh civil rights leader Alma Speed Fox remembered as 'trailblazer' by city officials

Alma Speed Fox, a longtime civil rights activist and Pittsburgh resident, died on Monday at the age of 98.

“Alma Fox was an unsung ‘Shero’ who organized many demonstrations and led many civil and human rights efforts here in Pittsburgh,” Fox’s church, the Historic Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal in Homewood, said in astatement.

Fox moved to Pittsburgh with her husband, Gerald Fox, in the 1950s and became a leader in the fight for civil rights in the city. She was the former president of the Pittsburgh branch of the NAACP and commissioner of the Pittsburgh Human Relations Commission for 34 years. Fox also helped establish the nonprofit Freedom Unlimited.

During her lifetime, “she joined in demonstrations against the Duquesne Light Company and participated in virtually every march from Freedom Corner since it was established in the 1960s,” the Historic Church of the Holy Cross Episcopal said in a statement.

“[Fox] is a Civil Rights Icon who helped to transform the City of Pittsburgh,” Mayor Ed Gainey wrote in a Tweet remembering Fox earlier this week.

“Her fight to advance the rights of African Americans and Women inspired me. She is a trailblazer in our city, not only because of her fight, but also because of her victories,” he continued in a statement released later. “I will always be indebted to her for how she helped us to overcome inequities that she faced personally. This city owes her a great deal of appreciation and we thank her for everything that she did. May she rest in power.”

Former Mayor Bill Peduto also offered condolences after her passing.

“Today, Pittsburgh lost a leader, a true freedom fighter, who trail blazed a path of civil rights & social justice throughout our region for over 50 years,” Peduto wrote. “[S]he not only knew history, she made it.”

Peduto presented Fox with a key to the city in 2018.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been shared.