Beloved activist Viola Plummer passed away last Monday at the age of 86. She was the last living founding member of the December 12th movement, a Brooklyn-based civil rights organization founded in 1986.
Plummer is remembered as a prolific voice in the Black liberation movement. She advocated for causes such as reparations for descendants of slavery and was also involved in global fights against racism in countries including Zimbabwe, Venezuela, and South Africa.
Along with Sonny Abubadika Carson, Coltrane Chimurenga, Elombe Brath, and Father Lucas, Plummer founded the December 12th movement in 1986. The group tackles racism, housing, reparations, criminal justice and education issues. Plummer served as the chairperson of the organization from 2002 until her death.
In 1995, Plummer founded Sista’s Place, a live jazz music venue in Bedford Stuyvesant. Sista’s Place became a meeting place for the December 12th movement and remains their main headquarters today.
Colette Pean, a member of the December 12th movement, described Plummer as “warm, direct, and firm” in her convictions. Sista’s Place is the realization of Plummer’s vision to merge music with activism, Pean said.
"It’s a devastating loss,” she said. “I think that her work will continue and that she left a strong foundation.”
Those who knew Plummer, who also served as the chief of staff for both City Council members Inez and Charles Barron, remember her as a fearless leader who was unwavering in her activism for more than 50 years.
“Viola Plummer was an activist 1,000% of the time,” said mTkalla Keaton, an artist who first met Viola in the late 80s. “There was something about Viola's spirit and her demeanor that reminded people of Harriet Tubman, but at the same time, she had an incredible smile.”
A viewing and wake will take place on January 26, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at J. Foster Phillips Funeral Home located at 179-24 Linden Boulevard in St. Albans, Queens.
The funeral service for Plummer will be held on January 27, at House of the Lord Church at 415 Atlantic Avenue in downtown Brooklyn at 5pm.
