Kalamazoo civil rights leader Anna Whitten to be honored during Women’s History Month
The public is invited to attend “A Life of Service: Anna Whitten Tribute Luncheon” on Wednesday, March 12, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Room 128 of Anna Whitten Hall in downtown Kalamazoo.
Kalamazoo Valley Community College will honor the legacy of longtime civil rights leader Anna Whitten during Women’s History Month with a special tribute at the very building that bears her name.
The public is invited to attend “A Life of Service: Anna Whitten Tribute Luncheon” on Wednesday, March 12, from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Room 128 of Anna Whitten Hall in downtown Kalamazoo. The event is free, and no RSVPs are required. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served, said a press release sent by Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the renaming of Kalamazoo Valley’s Arcadia Commons Campus building at 202 N. Rose St. to honor Whitten, a longtime trustee whose contributions shaped the college and the broader community. The structure first opened in 1994 and was renamed in February 2005. Whitten, the college’s longest-serving trustee, joined the Board of Trustees in 1968 and remained active as board secretary until her passing in 2016 at the age of 95.
“Every year, the college hosts a Women’s History Month program,” said Kalamazoo Valley President L. Marshall Washington, Ph.D. “With the milestone 20th anniversary of the naming of Anna Whitten Hall this year, it was only fitting to remind everyone of the impact that Anna Whitten had at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and in the larger community. May we never forget her quiet, diligent and powerful leadership and servanthood.”
A highlight of the event will be the dedication of a new interactive display in the lobby of Anna Whitten Hall, chronicling Whitten’s life and accomplishments. Speakers include President Washington and community member Sadie Clark Miles, who regarded Whitten as “a mother figure.” Attendees are encouraged to wear red in recognition of Equal Pay Day.
Whitten, a Port Huron native, moved to Kalamazoo in 1950 and became a tireless advocate for education and civil rights. She was instrumental in founding the Douglass Community Center and played a key role in the dedication of a downtown Kalamazoo park to Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout her life, she worked with organizations such as the NAACP, Kalamazoo Loaves & Fishes, Ladies’ Library Association of Kalamazoo, and the Family Health Center.
Her humanitarian efforts earned her numerous accolades, including the 2013 Red Rose Award from the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo and the YWCA Women of Achievement Award in 1999. That same year, the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners named her an official “county treasure.”
Whitten’s dedication to social justice and education remains a lasting influence in the Kalamazoo community, and the tribute luncheon aims to ensure that her legacy continues to inspire future generations.
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