Dr. Marcella Maxwell, 96, a community activist and educator, passes away

Dr. Marcella Maxwell passed away. She was most recognized for her contributions as a community leader, administrator, college lecturer, and teacher over the years. According to her relatives, she died on Thursday, March 21 at 11 a.m. at Manhattan’s Weill Cornell Medical Center. Maxwell was ninety-six years old.

Maxwell, a North Carolina native, hailed from a long family of teachers. Surprisingly, her grandfather awarded a land grant to the town’s first African-American elementary school.

Maxwell moved to the New York area at a young age and eventually obtained a position as a secretary for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). Maxwell went to college and graduated from Long Island University with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in elementary education because she thought her work was boring.

Maxwell continued her education, graduating from Fordham University with a doctorate in educational administration. Her dissertation compared the principals of urban elementary schools who were Black, White, and Puerto Rican.

She was chosen to go to Puerto Rico and teach English as a second language by the state’s current education commissioner, John B. King Jr.’s father, who was the assistant superintendent of the school during her tenure there. After coming back, Maxwell began working at Bank Street College of Education as a teacher trainer.

Throughout her career, Maxwell held positions as dean of adult and continuing education and dean of external affairs at Medgar Evers College, where she spent 13 years. For a number of years, she continued to be connected to the college by serving on the foundation board.

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Maxwell’s involvement in the North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority allowed her to make a positive impact on people’s lives outside of the classroom. She had known the Dukes for many years, going back several decades.