Irma Anderson

“Irma was a dear friend and my mentor.”

“She truly loved the people of Richmond.”

“Her talent and determination allowed her to break barriers by being Contra Costa’s first African-American Director of Public Health Nursing, Richmond’s first black female city councilmember and only black female mayor.”

“She was a fierce advocate, but she also had a great bedside manner — always making sure to ask about family and make those connections. She really cared about people individually, which drove her.”

“She did not do it for the pomp and circumstance but did it so that the people who could not speak, she could deliver their message. My mother was a pillar for voices that were unrepresented and a lighthouse for folks in troubled waters — giving them hope that, at the end of the night, there was light.”

“As people say, from the small acorn comes the mighty oak, and my mother was a giant amongst giants.”

“I’ve lived a great life.”