Bob and Helen Singleton

Proclamation

Whereas: Robert “Bob” and Helen Singleton have spent more than six decades in dedicated service to the freedom of Black and all Americans, and Bob spent four decades contributing profoundly to the mission of Loyola Marymount University;

Whereas: Bob served honorably in the U.S. Army as a translator, then took advantage of the GI Bill, attending UCLA. Later, as a graduate student organizer, Bob, along with Helen, desegregated campus housing;

Whereas: Bob and Helen bravely led a group of students on the Freedom Rides throughout the dangerous American South, to actualize the constitutional rights of Black Americans. They remained committed to the cause after being arrested, convicted, and imprisoned in the Mississippi state penitentiary for almost two months. Bob later was a member of the 1968 Kerner (U.S. Presidential) Commission that investigated racial uprisings of the period. He provided safety for Black UCLA activists who faced racism and death threats;

Whereas: Bob earned his Ph.D. in economics and thereafter joined LMU as a professor of economics, and Helen earned her master’s degree in public administration from LMU. At LMU, Bob emphasized the education of the whole person, bringing his consequential life experience to the classroom to enlighten students on aspects of race relations and racism. Bob and Helen have helped many students of color, mostly first-generation college attendees, find their way through the academic maze by offering a trusted source of support and comfort;

Whereas: Bob and Helen have continually prioritized the strengthening of race relations in academia and society. They have used their experience and connections with the Civil Rights Movement to inform and propel the academic community to pay greater attention to racial equity;

Whereas: President Obama honored Bob and Helen at a White House Freedom Riders event. They, in turn, honored LMU by bringing in many members of the Freedom Riders and Civil Rights Movement to speak at events in Los Angeles;

Whereas: Bob and Helen spent their life as advocates for racial equity, providing a voice to the disenfranchised and dignity to those marginalized by society, embodying our Jesuit and Marymount mission. They have demonstrated how individuals, uniting with others, can rise up in righteousness to manifest the truest ideals of American democracy. Hence,

BE IT KNOWN: Loyola Marymount University extends heartfelt gratitude and proudly honors Robert “Bob” and Helen Singleton Educators, Freedom Fighters, and Community Builders

For their dedication and commitment to our university, to the LMU Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, to the Economics Department, and to the global movement for racial equity.

The LMU President's Award

The LMU President's Award is the highest non-degree honor given by Loyola Marymount University. It recognizes those who have made a profound and enduring contribution to the greater good of society. The award is conferred on a selective basis to distinguished individuals who merit special recognition for genuine achievement and distinction that enriches humanity and supports the mission of the University.

About the Singletons

Robert Singleton and Helen Singleton M.A. ’85, a married couple, were deeply involved in civil rights work in Los Angeles when in summer 1961 they decided to join the Freedom Rides, a seminal stage in the civil rights movement. Working with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), they had been organizing against racially restrictive housing laws on the city’s west side as well as against segregated barbershops in the Westwood area. In July of that year, they traveled to New Orleans and boarded a train to Jackson, Mississippi, where they were arrested for integrating a white-only waiting room. As reported by the UCLA Newsroom, the Singletons are currently concerned about racial profiling and the use of force by police, as well as the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court decision blunting the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In November 2017, Robert Singleton retired after 35 years of service as a professor of economics at LMU. Helen Singleton is now retired after years of working with government, educational and nonprofit arts organizations.