Marie Fielder: A Portrait

Dr. Marie Fielder was one of the most influential women in the history of California education, who devoted her career to promoting equitable education and justice. She was the first African American woman with a doctorate to teach in the San Francisco Bay Area. She then facilitated interracial community dialogues in the aftermath of the Birmingham Church Bombings in 1963 and the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968 in an effort to de-escalate violence and promote community healing. She also helped the Berkeley public schools to become the first in the nation to desegregate through two-way busing-one of her proudest accomplishments. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, she worked as a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant for corporations, including Merrill Lynch and Intuit Corporation. Through her vision and commitment to justice in her 60-year career, Dr. Fielder inspired many and left an indelible mark on the entire nation. In 2016, the Marie Fielder Center for Democracy, Leadership, and Education was established at Fielding Graduate University to honor the legacy and work of Dr. Fielder and to encourage research that addresses today's educational and social problems. This affectionate portrait by Dr. Jenny Johnson-Riley describes her incalculable achievements.