Camden's Rosa Ramirez remembered as a 'social justice warrior'

In a 1992 profile, Rosa Ramirez told the Courier-Post she wanted to be remembered "as a friend of everybody."

"I loved and I tried my best," Ramirez said, "I want to be remembered as a person who wanted to help everybody, so that they could say, 'I went there and she gave me a hand.'"

There are many in Camden and elsewhere who were on the receiving end of Ramirez's helping hands.

The longtime Camden resident, social justice advocate and activist died Oct. 7 at the age of 80. According to a Courier-Post death notice, she was "surrounded by her loving family," which includes her husband, Roberto; children Nancy Rodriguez, Melissa Portscheller; three grandchildren and two sisters.

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Ramirez worked for the Diocese of Camden at St. Joseph's Pro Cathedral in East Camden, where she was also a parishioner. She was among the founders of Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP), a coalition that advocated for social issues in the city and worked to improve the quality of life for residents; and St. Joseph's Carpenter Society, a housing nonprofit.

"She was larger than life," said Pilar Hogan-Closkey, executive director of St. Joseph's Carpenter Society.

Hogan-Closkey said Ramirez was a natural leader, unafraid to talk to a room full of hundreds of people but also able to talk with her fellow residents one-on-one, earning their trust and taking into account their needs and wishes.

"She was comfortable being that leader, not only for East Camden but for all of Camden ... She could talk to one person, but then get up to the microphone and, whoever was in charge, talk to them, ask and negotiate and cajole, whatever needed to be done."

"Her work in and for Camden when it was at its most challenging times, especially with public safety, belongs in the annals of the city," said Scott Thomson, former chief of the Camden County Police Department.

"Governors, attorneys general, elected and appointed leaders listened when she spoke — which was often, through her famously known bullhorn. She played a key role in placing responsibility of Camden's safety issues back to the attention of the state which had taken over Camden."

Thomson called her "one of the most respected, toughest and beloved Hispanic leaders for all people and denominations," someone who was "progressively persistent and tough on any leader who was not doing all they they reasonably could to make Camden better."

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Faith in New Jersey, the statewide nonprofit that merged with CCOP in 2015, remembered Ramirez in a statement as "a passionate and committed justice warrior who was a prominent voice for change in the city for more than 20 years."

“Rosa was a remarkable leader who will always be remembered and loved by her family, friends and community for her tireless dedication to promoting the dignity and rights of all people to flourish as God intended, regardless of their ZIP code,” said Rev. Heyward D. Wiggins, III, Pastor of Camden Bible Tabernacle in North Camden.

“She was willing to speak truth to power and, along with her many allies in the faith community, pricked the conscience of a generation of elected officials who served Camden and the region. Camden is a better, stronger community because of her witness. She was a force to be reckoned with.”

Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen called Ramirez "most beloved by the community that she served."

"Rosa was a strong leader who advocated for investment in neighborhoods to address blight, especially dilapidated and abandoned buildings," he added. "We often speak about the shoulders upon which we stand today. Rosa certainly was a trailblazer, social justice icon and a leader among leaders. We are grateful for her strength of spirit and advocacy.”

Ramirez "led the way along with the late Monsignor Bob McDermott on grassroots organizing to address public safety, housing, and infrastructure," said Council President Angel Fuentes. "To say that we are grateful for her love, honesty and dedication to the citizens of Camden is simply an understatement."

"Whoever it was, a mayor or City Council or schools, she approached in like, instead of here are the demands, it was, 'You know your business and I'm not going to tell you how to do your job,'" Hogan-Closkey recalled.

"She wanted Camden to be a community for everyone: Where kids would have good schools, where people could walk safely down the street, and it was, 'This is what we want as residents — you figure out how to do it.

"It was sort of genius."

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has covered Camden and surrounding areas since 2015, concentrating on issues relating to quality of life and social justice for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. She's called South Jersey home since 1971. Contact her with feedback, news tips or questions at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @By_Phaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Rosa Ramirez, Camden activist, 'a trailblazer, social justice icon'