Robert Curvin

Robert Curvin (February 23, 1934 – September 30, 2015) was an advocate for Newark, New Jersey, activist, and historian, who had a key role in the 1967 Newark riots.[1] He lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark and devoted much scholarly effort to the issue of urban poverty.[1]

Robert Curvin
Born(1934-02-23)February 23, 1934
Belleville, New Jersey
DiedSeptember 30, 2015(2015-09-30) (aged 81)
Newark, New Jersey
EducationRutgers University (BS and MSW)
Princeton University (Ph.D.)

Early life and education

Curvin was born in Belleville, New Jersey[2] and raised in the township's Silver Lake section, where he graduated from Belleville High School in 1952 before enlisting in the United States Army.[3][4] He attended Rutgers University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1960 and his MSW in 1967. He went on to receive a PhD in political science from Princeton University in 1975.[5]

Activism

In 1960, Curvin helped found the Newark-Essex County chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality.[1]

During the Newark Riots, Curvin attempted to calm rioters.[1] Said historian Clement Price, "“He displayed immense personal courage during the height of the riots by grasping a bullhorn, climbing atop a car and exhorting a restive crowd not to riot and instead stage a peaceful march on City Hall,” [1]

Curvin campaigned for Newark's first Black mayor Kenneth A. Gibson and was a trusted advisor to Gibson.[6][7]

Curvin was a founder of New Community Corporation.[8]

Later life

Curvin was on The New York Times editorial board from 1978 to 1984.[1][8]

He served as a dean of the Milano School of Management and Urban Policy at New School University and director of the Revson Foundation.[8] He also was a Senior Policy Fellow at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.[9]

From 1988 to 2012, Curvin headed the Ford Foundation.[7]

Curvin was a trustee of the Fund for the City of New York, the Victoria Foundation, Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Thirteen/ WNET and Princeton University.[8]

He received a 2015 Ryan Award for Commitment to NJPAC and Leadership in the City of Newark at NJPAC's 20th Annual Spotlight Gala and was a member of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.[8]

He spent much of his last years in academic work writing his book Inside Newark.[7]

He died of multiple myeloma in 2015, at the age of 81.[2]

Personal life

Curvin and his wife Patricia lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark.[7] They had a son and a daughter: Frank and Nicole.[7] Robert shares a daughter, Melanie Adams with the late Nannette Adams.

Bibliography
  • The Persistent Minority the Black Political Experience in Newark (Phd Dissertation, Princeton University)[10]
  • Black Ghetto Politics in Newark after World War II, in Schwartz and Prosser eds., "Cities of the Garden State" (Kendall-Hunt Publ., 1977)
  • Blackout Looting: New York City, July 13, 1977 (Gardner Press, 1979)
  • Inside Newark: Decline, Rebellion, and the Search for Transformation (Rutgers University Press, 2014)

References
  1. "Robert Curvin, 'legendary' Newark civil rights leader and historian, dies at 81". NJ.com. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  2. Roberts, Sam (2015-09-30). "Robert Curvin, Scholar Who Fought Bias and Poverty in Newark, Dies at 81". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-05-22.
  3. Cohen, Gilbert. "Preserving Memory: Newark and Rutgers in the 1960’s And 1970’s - Oral History Interview: Curvin, Robert, 1991-11-30", Rutgers University, November 30, 1991. Accessed February 18, 2022. "Curvin: Well, I went to high school in Belleville, New Jersey, and graduated in 1952. And a year after that I entered the US Army."
  4. "Four Belleville Men Receive Basic Training Assignments", The Belleville Times-News, August 14, 1953. Accessed February 18, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Donald C. Pissott, Anthony Corsi, Carmen Sorice Jr., and Robert Curvin, all of Belleville, have recently been assigned to the 9th Infantry Division for Basic Training at Fort Dix. Pissott, Sorice and Curvin are all former Belleville High School students."
  5. "Robert Curvin, 1943–2015 | Rutgers University – Newark". www.newark.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  6. "Lives: Robert Curvin *75". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2016-02-03. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  7. NJ.com, Dan Ivers | NJ Advance Media for (2015-09-30). "Newark civil rights leader, historian Curvin dead at 81". nj. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  8. "Robert Curvin, 1934–2015 | Rutgers University – Newark". www.newark.rutgers.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  9. "In Memoriam: Robert Curvin, Bloustein School Senior Policy Fellow, civil rights activist, historian, and alumnus – Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy". Retrieved 2022-02-18.
  10. Krasovic, Mark (2016-04-15). The Newark Frontier: Community Action in the Great Society. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-35279-4.


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