Hortense (Golden) Canady (August 18, 1927 – October 23, 2010) was a civil rights leader, the first African American elected to the Lansing Board of Education.[3][4] She served as national president of
Delta Sigma Theta sorority from 1983-1988.
Biography
Canady was born Elizabeth Hortense Golden on August 18, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois.[1] At age 16, she enrolled in
Fisk University, where she met her husband. The two were married on her 18th birthday, prior to his deployment during World War II.[1] She continued her education at Fisk and later received a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology.[1] Later in life, she went back to school and received a master's degree in higher education from
Michigan State University.[1]