Former leader of Louisville Urban League Ben Richmond dies at 80

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Many in the city of Louisville are mourning the loss of a civil rights titan who led the Louisville Urban League for nearly 30 years.

The Louisville Urban League announced Tuesday the passing of its former President and CEO Ben Richmond. He was 80 years old.

"The tremendous impact he's had on this city is going to be hard to quantify....Ben was a giant," Current Louisville Urban league President & CEO Lyndon Pryor said. "He's done so much for this city, and people across this country, it is truly a tremendous loss."

Richmond moved to Louisville from Mississippi in 1987 and served as the head of the Louisville Urban League until his retirement in 2015. He advocated for better economic development in Louisville's west end.

Perhaps most notably, the REBOUND INC (Rebuilding Our Urban Neighborhood Dwellings) project. It started as a partner agency to the Urban League in the '90s, and Richmond had the vision to help Black people secure home ownership. So the organization built, helped families with finances to secure loans, and turned around vacant properties, pouring millions of dollars into Louisville's west end.

"When it comes to affordable housing, people really having the opportunity to participate in the American dream, and being able to establish wealth through home ownership, REBOUND will be one of his long-lasting legacies in our community," said Richmond's longtime friend and former Metro Council President David Tandy. "You're grateful that you got to know somebody like Ben Richmond."

The Urban League Headquarters itself is another one of those standing legacies.

"I don't know if we talked enough about the fact that Ben built the Urban League Headquarters at 15th and Broadway, and paid for that building in full. It was his decision," former Louisville Urban League President and CEO Sadiqa Reynolds said. "There are just so many things that he accomplished, so many things that he has left for us as a legacy and for us to try to follow."

Reynolds replaced Richmond at the helm of the organization from 2015 to 2022.

"I don't know if he gets enough credit for really fighting for the workforce development program and putting hundreds of people into jobs."

Richmond also championed the Zones of Hope program.

"African American male achievement, that's our goal," Richmond said in a 2015 interview with WDRB explaining the program. "Helping them understand what it means to be a successful citizen."

In 2007, he received the city's Martin Luther Kind Jr. Freedom Award for his civil rights efforts.

"Ben Richmond was an incredible advocate and leader who dedicated his career to the Louisville Urban League, its staff, and those served by the organization," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a statement. "The LUL saw transformative change during his time as president and CEO. He will forever be remembered for his dedication to justice and civil rights for Louisvillians."

While helping the Urban league grow, Richmond also served on numerous boards in the city like Fund for the Arts, Greater Louisville Inc., Metropolitan Sewer District and the University of Louisville President's Council.

Those who knew Richmond and called him a friend said he had quiet strength. He wasn't at the front of many protests, but was in the rooms where decisions were made.

"I always admired the way he operated in our community and how he was able to get things done," said Tandy.

A mentor to the end, both Pryor and Reynolds shared how Richmond was always there to offer support, advice or wise counsel to those who following in his footprints.

"He stayed committed to the movement to his very last breath," Reynolds said.

The Urban League was founded in 1910 to enhance the lives of African Americans and other marginalized people attain social and economic equality and stability through direct services and advocacy. The Louisville chapter was established a decade later. Richmond was its longest serving leader.

An endowment at the Urban League lives on in his honor, providing grants to entrepreneurs and scholarships to Jefferson County Public Schools graduates studying business.

Gone, but not forgotten. Ben Richmond's legacy in Louisville will stand the test of time.

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