Velma Woodson, tireless advocate and longtime NAACP activist, dies at 95
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During a frigid December in 1958, as Kansas Citians rallied together seeking an end to the racial discrimination prohibiting Black people from shopping in department stores and eating at lunch counters, Velma Woodson stood as a leader in the fight for equal rights.
Under the direction of the Community Committee for Social Action — a group formed largely by a social club of local Black women — Woodson participated in the demonstrations and boycotts that led to businesses downtown fully opening their doors to people of color. The victory, which came after a seven-week boycott of the stores, was a turning point in the struggle for civil rights in Kansas City.
“Times were so much worse than they are now,” Woodson told The Star during an interview in 2010, recalling her experience. “You couldn’t go any place and be accepted. You couldn’t go into the stores to buy clothing. You could not sit down to eat. So I think at some point, everybody became disgusted.”
Woodson, remembered by family and friends as a quintessential leader and a tireless advocate for civil rights, died March 11 after long suffering from chronic health conditions. She was 95.
Born Velma Love in 1925 in Kansas City, Kansas, Woodson was the elder of two children. She received her early education in the northeastern part of the city, graduating from Sumner High School in 1943 before attending the University of California, Los Angeles; Kansas University and Avila University.
While attending college away from home, she would come back during her breaks and work for a caterer next door to her house on North Third Street and Garfield Avenue. One day, a young man named William “Bill” Woodson walked in to place an order and caught a glimpse of her working in the kitchen — and he was immediately “smitten,” said Bryan Love, Velma Woodson’s nephew.
Bill Woodson begged the store manager to let him speak with her She eventually met him outside. At first, she respectfully declined a date, saying she was already engaged. But Bill Woodson responded with a simple proposal.
“He said, ‘Well, let’s go out on a date and you’ll give the little fella his ring back,” Love said.
They had their date. And as the story goes, she “gave the little fella his ring back” the following day, Love added with a laugh. The couple married in 1947, roughly nine months after they met, and shared nearly 70 years together until Bill Woodson died in 2016.
“They just seemed to be such a perfect fit for each other … with different personalities that really complimented each other extremely well,” Love said.
The Woodsons were highly active in civil rights causes, seeking to advance the opportunities for people of color — especially during the late 1950s and early 1960s. They were part of the Kansas City chapter of the NAACP for many years, with Velma Woodson taking up leadership roles, including treasurer and secretary.
Woodson first joined the NAACP in 1947 and remained heavily involved until she retired some 50 years later. Charles Smith, the chapter’s former president, said Woodson always promoted the highest degree of professionalism, class, style and character.
“She used to say, ‘Bring the same professionalism to your volunteer work that you bring to your paid job,’” said Smith, who met Woodson through the NAACP and remained a close friend for many years. “And that was the kind of person she was.”
In her professional career, Woodson worked with the Internal Revenue Service for roughly 30 years. She started off as a clerk and typist before working her way on up to higher titles and responsibilities, including supervisor and management analyst.
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In her personal life, Woodson was well traveled, often taking cross-country trips with her husband. They drove the eastern seaboard and along the stretches of Route 66.
Woodson also loved to entertain, often hosting gourmet dinners and barbecues and card game nights with friends. She and her husband built a home in the historic Sheraton Estates neighborhood in the southeast corner of the city, where many influential Black leaders called home after the loosening of some of Kansas City’s racist housing policies. Such policies previously impeded Black people from living south of 27th Street
During the decades Woodson worked toward the advancement of civil rights with the NAACP, she was remembered for imparting wisdom and encouragement for those who came after her. She held nearly every position with the local branch, and was part of a group that included famed Kansas City leaders like Julia Hill and Fletcher Daniels
Smith, the former NAACP president, personally lobbied the organization on her behalf to create an award in her honor — the Velma E. Woodson Award for Outstanding Leadership — because “she was the personification of outstanding leadership.”
“Mrs. Woodson would always say to me, ‘Charles, don’t ever let the other person get you mad. Because if if you do, they’ll out-think you every time.’”
That advice helped him in everything he did, Smith said.
Woodson is survived by her niece, Sylvia Love; nephew, Bryan Love; godchild Donna Johnson and her great-nieces and great-nephews.
Other Remembrances
Ruthie Bridgeman-Burton
Ruthie Bridgeman-Burton, remembered as a dedicated member of her church who loved to spend time with family, died March 28. She was 85.
Born in 1936 in Minden, Louisiana, Bridgeman-Burton was the eldest of three children. She moved to Kansas City, Kansas, at a young age with her parents, graduating from Sumner High School in 1954. She later attended Kansas State University.
Bridgeman-Burton worked with the Douglas Bank of Kansas City, Kansas, for 10 years — her favorite job, family said — and later with the Internal Revenue Service, where she worked until retirement in 2005.
In 1958, she married Alfred Bridgeman of Louisville, Kentucky, with whom she had three children. She married Alfred Burton in 1972, and the couple had one child.
Bridgeman-Burton was remembered for her dedication to her spiritual homes, King Solomon Baptist Church, and then Salem Baptist Church, where she remained a member for 49 years. She enjoyed playing piano for, and singing with, the church choir, family said.
Other joys of hers included shopping, seeing movies at the theater, going out dancing and hosting family gatherings.
She is survived by her four children, 21 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
Wanda Stewart-Russell
Wanda Stewart-Russell, remembered as the true family matriarch known for her keen sense of humor and wise advice, died March 24. She was 70.
Born in 1950 in Kansas City, Kansas, she was the fourth of 12 children. She later attended Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri.
She married the man family described as “her crush”: William Earl Russell, who preceded her in death. Family remembered Stewart-Russell as a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and more.
She spent her leisure time having deep conversations and spending her time with family and friends.
Stewart-Russell is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, DeAngela and John T. Hightower Jr. and three granddaughters.
This story was originally published April 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
