HOUSTON – The passing of a well-known former Houston city council member was announced on Thursday.
According to a statement from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Ada Edwards passed away sometime this week. She was 80 years old.
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Edwards was said to have previously worked as the District D Council Member and helped ‘to find solutions without compromising her beliefs and was steadfast in fighting to improve the lives of all Houstonians.”
Turner added that during her time with the city, Edwards advocated for affordable housing, social justice, and community empowerment.
The current Houston City Councilmember for District D, Dr. Carolyn Shabazz, remembered Edwards on Instagram, stating “She was an incredibly dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of her constituents. She will be remembered for her passionate commitment to civic engagement and advancing the goals of our District D community and the City of Houston. She will be dearly missed.”
According to a biography on the University of Houston’s website, outside of her city work, Edwards was also a respected spiritual leader and ordained minister, pillar in the community, highly demanded speaker, successful entrepreneur, and devoted mother of five and grandmother of 14.
She also previously worked as the university’s assistant director for the City of Houston’s Department of Housing and Community Development.
Mayor Turner’s statement below:
“Former Houston City Council Member Ada Edwards never forgot where she came from or who she represented.
During her time as the District D Council Member, she worked to find solutions without compromising her beliefs and was steadfast in fighting to improve the lives of all Houstonians. She advocated for affordable housing, social justice and community empowerment. She cared deeply about people living in historically under resourced and underserved communities.
Even after she left elected office because of term limits, Edwards remained active and dedicated her time to connecting people to education and employment opportunities, mentoring youth and working with nonprofit organizations.
Houston is a stronger city today because of Ada Edwards’ tireless advocacy and dedication to public service throughout the years. May Ada Edwards Rest In Power.”