On March 18, 1942, Gloria L. Fox (Jackson) was born in Boston, MA to parents Ella May Stubbs and Leroy Walker. A child of the foster care system, Gloria lived in Boston before settling in Everett, MA with her foster family, the Walkers. She earned her education in both Boston public and Everett public schools. Her educational acumen and determination brought her to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's hallowed halls where she completed the University’s Community Fellows program.

In the 1960s, Gloria married Joseph D. Fox, Sr. of Boston, and they had two sons - Joseph D. Fox, Jr. and Durrell J. Fox. Life would lead Gloria into the arena of activism and community organizing early in her children’s lives. Gloria raised her boys as a single mother in the Whittier Street Public Housing Development, a close-knit community where she began building her foundation in community organizing (and later politics).

She rallied with her neighbors and community leaders to launch the anti-displacement effort to stop the controversial Southwest Expressway Corridor project (Stop I-95) from cutting through Roxbury. Gloria continued to be a champion for the community, supporting and leading on critical issues that impacted women and families. She joined ABCD as a director of the Roxbury Area Planning Action Council (APAC) where she fought for access to resources such as job training, childcare, and quality healthcare.

Her political career manifested next and in 1985 Gloria was chosen by community leaders to run for an office representing Roxbury, which she won in a special election and was seated in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, making her the second African-American woman to hold that title in the Commonwealth. She held an unwavering, award-winning 30-year career in the Massachusetts legislature serving the 7th Suffolk district, including her Roxbury. Her work was guided by the input from the residents of her District, and she fought tirelessly to make sure all voices were heard, and all issues were handled. Her legislative work focused on eliminating health disparities in communities of color, establishing groundbreaking legislation Community Health Workers, child welfare, foster care, social justice, prison reform and so much more. At the time of her retirement, Gloria is on record as being the longest-serving African American woman in the House of Representatives.

While her life’s work was always rooted in the improvement of all our lives, outside of the camera flashes and the House floor, Gloria was a woman truly devoted to her family. There wasn’t a family gathering, holiday celebration, or BBQ she wouldn’t attend. She loved to travel and enjoyed spending summer days on the Cape or Martha’s Vineyard. She loved to celebrate the cultural diversity of the city, annually walking in or sitting pretty in a convertible at the Boston Caribbean Carnival parade or attending festivals held in her district. If she asked you to go to dinner, one must never refuse. With Gloria, meals were always a sensory experience for both the palate and the mind.

Gloria taught us all the true meaning of Self-Determination, Kujichagulia, her favorite Kwanzaa principle. It embodied everything she was. For decades she hosted a community Kwanzaa celebration in honor of Kujichagulia.

She lived by her life’s motto:

“If you have a purpose in which you can believe, there’s no end to the things you can accomplish” by Marion Anderson.

Gloria is survived by her adoring sons, Joe (Yvette) Fox, and Durrell (Lisa Renee) Fox; grandchildren, Sincere, Jovani, Dallas (Angela), Andrea, Joseph “BJ”, Daysia, Shey, and Carley; great-grandchildren Aja, Taya Marie, Ava Madison, Aiden, Serenity, and Austin; her sisters, Dorothy, Louise and Beverly; and a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family members and friends.

One of her favorite quotes: "If there’s no struggle, there’s no progress", by Frederick Douglas.

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