Ed Taylor is the Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and he takes a minute to reflect the life of his mother, Dr. King, and how this has influenced his own life’s work.

With the recent passing of his mother, Mildred Taylor, in December 2011, Taylor wanted to take a moment to remember his mother’s small but impacting contributions to the Civil Rights movement. Taylor noted that his mother was a kind and humble woman who was not one for speeches and recognition during her life. Although Mildred never spent time in the Birmingham jail or protested with others during the March on Washington, she played significant roles in the advancement of African Americans in her time. Mildred was the first African American woman to work at Moore’s Department store in Lompoc California. She became a well known a loved member of this community over the years. Mildred’s friend Dorothy Jackson was the first African American school principal in the community and responsible for the education of thousands of children in her life.

Taylor also remembered his mother hold him as a young boy after hearing the news of Martin Luther King’s murder. Taylor says he never saw his mother cry before this day and it was a significant moment he still holds close in his memory.

During his mothers funeral, Taylor witnessed countless members of the community, bankers, gas station attendants, store owners, etc stand up and relate stories about his mother. He realized at this point what a kind, compassionate, and decent life his mother had lived saw first hand how many people she was able to touch. Taylor stated that although the Civil Rights Movement was characterized by sit-ins, marches and publicized acts, his mother “did great things in [her own] small way”.

Ed Taylor carries these values that his mother demonstrated her whole life. He now wants to live up to her standards, by being a decent, kind and caring man who’s dedicated to providing quality education to the next generation of leaders at the University of Washington.