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Born March 18, 1949, in Sanfran, AR
Died May 25, 2014, in Prattville, AL
Bertha Gilkey was an activist for welfare and tenant rights from the age of 14. In St. Louis in the mid-1970s, she organized the tenants of Cochran Gardens, a deteriorated public housing complex, to regain control of their community. She ran the Cochran Tenant Management Corporation for more than 20 years. She was instrumental in obtaining over $30 million in federal funds for renovation and new construction in the St. Louis area. Founder of Urban Women, a consulting firm that provides leadership and management training to tenant groups, she traveled with the Cochran model throughout the United States, Europe, and Africa.