Remembering Mother Wright

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums will be among those in attendance for a  civic service in Oakland this evening for humanitarian icon Mary Ann Wright,  known as Mother Wright to the needy people she helped over the years.
     
Wright, 87, will be honored at 6 p.m. at the Oakland Convention  Center at the Oakland Marriott City Center, located at 1001 Broadway.

Her body will also be lying in state until 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Jewett Ballroom in the Marriott hotel.

Wright passed away in early May. She was a locally and nationally honored humanitarian who was inducted in 2005 into the Hall of Fame for  Caring Americans in Washington, D.C., according to Assemblyman Sandre  Swanson, D-Alameda.

Paul Rose, a spokesman for Dellums, said the mayor will be one of several speakers at tonight's service.

Dellums said in a statement on May 8, "Every Oakland resident who believes in benevolent kindness mourns the passing of Mary Ann Wright - a  courageous woman who devoted her life to helping others."

"Mother Wright was a true example of one person making an extraordinary difference in a community," he said.

Wright is survived by 10 children, 33 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren, according to Swanson. Two sons preceded her in death, he said.