Johnstown, Pennsylvania (May 22, 1914 -December 15, 2002) 88yrs

Ann Sawyer Berkley was a poet, author, illustrator,  and civil rights activist. She studied art at the Art Institute of Johnstown and exhibited with local artists in Altoona, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Newark, New Jersey. As New Jersey residents, Berkley and her husband, Charles Berkley, helped organize A. Philip Randolph’s call for a march in Washington, D.C., seeking economic opportunity and civil rights. Randolph’s 1941 “Call to Negro America” was a carefully planned, nonviolent protest that brought about the first federal policy against discrimination in defense employment. Berkley’s publications between 1976 and 1995 included poetry books that she wrote and illustrated herself. She also researched African American history for a series of books, handling the writing, illustrations and publication. In 1994, she relocated to National City, California. There, her activities continued to include writing, drawing and exhibitions, along with storytelling for children and adults throughout the greater San Diego area.