The staff and friends of the People’s Tribune and Tribuno del Pueblo are mourning the recent passing of Gloria J. Slaughter of Stone Mountain, Georgia. She was a longtime contributor to the People’s Tribune from Georgia, sending articles on the fight for public education, homelessness, healthcare, police brutality and other issues. She also brought People’s Tribune speakers to Georgia to meet with individuals and groups she worked with.
The following is from Gloria’s published obituary:
Gloria J. Slaughter passed away on April 26, 2023 at 82 years of age. She is survived by John, her loving husband of more than 61 years, her beloved daughter Lara and her beloved son Hugh.
Gloria was born in Norfolk, Virginia on November 20, 1940. She and her family moved to Birmingham, Alabama when she was a teenager, and it was while attending Birmingham-Southern college that she met her husband-to-be. They were married in 1961, and on June 18, 1965 they had their first child, Hugh. Lara was born on January 16, 1969. Both of them grew up to inherit many of Gloria’s best qualities, and are wonderful children and human beings.
Gloria as a person can be summed up in one word – love. She loved John with all her heart, and she loved Lara and Hugh equally as much. But her life as a loving human being extended beyond her immediate family. She loved life, and she loved all of humanity, but in particular she loved children. Gloria graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1970 with a degree in elementary education. She taught in Alabama for a while, and after moving to Decatur, Georgia in 1980, taught second grade at Columbia Elementary School in DeKalb County for 23 years. While there she also received a Master’s degree in education from Georgia State University.
Although Gloria never sought recognition, she received many awards for her work, including Teacher of the Year, an induction into the Georgia Association of Educators Hall of Fame, and recognition for her work by the DeKalb Neighborhood Leadership Institute. Gloria served as the president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators, and then after retirement, served as the president of ODE-Retired.
Gloria also worked with the homeless, was an active part of Moral Monday, a grassroots movement dedicated to achieving the expansion of Medicaid for the poor in Georgia, and for many years was a member of the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger. She was also a member of the National Public Education Committee.
A memorial service to celebrate Gloria’s life will be conducted at the Wages and Sons Funeral Home in Stone Mountain village, 1040 Main Street, at 2:00 PM on Saturday, May 6.
In lieu of flowers the family is suggesting that a charitable donation be made to the Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger, 9 Gammon Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30315, or to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. You can donate by going to https://everloved.com/life-of/gloria-slaughter/obituary/.
The following is excerpted from a memorial statement by friends of Gloria in Georgia:
Thinking of Gloria
Gloria leaves with us a legacy of kindness, deep revolutionary commitment, unending patience and tenacity, and an authentic happiness that cannot be matched. Her passing leaves a hole in our hearts.
Southern to the bone, her love of teaching and teachers was always apparent. Gloria received many awards in DeKalb County, Georgia for her dedication to teaching, including “Teacher of the Year” as well as being honored by the DeKalb County NAACP and the Georgia PTA. She held numerous leadership positions in the Georgia Association of Education and National Education Association. She co-authored the pamphlet “Murder of the Minds: The Attack on Our Public Schools,” a document clearly ahead of its time.
When Gloria was not in the school building, she was in the community. She served on the Board of WRFG (Radio Free Georgia) and on the Board of the Georgia Citizens’ Coalition on Hunger. She was also active with the Poor People’s Campaign. She was a life-long member of the League of Revolutionaries for a New America.
She welcomed those of us not born in the South to the South in a way that made the South integral to our being.
But more than anything else, we should carry her gentle heart, her ever-present smile and her expansive kindness in everything we do. She taught us so much about the humanity that we seek to become.
To John, Lara, Hugh and the grandchildren – we are here for you in whatever way you need. John, we love you and embrace you always. Please know you are not alone and are deep in our hearts.
Strong and gentle. Fierce and kind. Tried and true. Gloria, Presente!
