Willie Beatrice Barrow (née Taplin; December 7, 1924 – March 12, 2015) was an American civil rights activist, minister, and co-founder of Operation PUSH (originally named Operation Breadbasket) alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson. Known by the nicknames "Little Warrior," "Princess of Protest," and "High Priestess of Protest," she was a field organizer for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the godmother of President Barack Obama.
Early Life and Education
Barrow was born in Burton, Texas, to Nelson Taplin, a minister, and Octavia Taplin, one of seven children. At age 12, she organized a demonstration with fellow Black students to protest that white students could ride the bus while Black students had to walk. When confronted by the bus driver, she declared, "Y'all can kill me if you want to. But I'm tired."
At 16, she moved to Portland, Oregon, to study at Warner Pacific Theological Seminary (now Warner Pacific College). While still a student, she helped build one of the first Black Churches of God in the city and was ordained as a minister after graduation. During World War II, she worked as a welder at the Swan Island Shipyard, where she met Clyde Barrow, whom she married in 1945.
The couple moved to Chicago in the early 1940s, where Barrow attended the Moody Bible Institute and ran the youth choir at Langley Avenue Church of God.
Civil Rights Activism
In the 1950s, Barrow worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and other Chicago ministers as a field organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). In the 1960s, she helped organize the Chicago chapter of Operation Breadbasket with Rev. Jesse Jackson. In 1984, she became the first woman executive director of a civil rights organization, serving as CEO of Operation PUSH.
She participated in landmark events including the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Bloody Sunday march in Selma. She opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and led a delegation to North Vietnam in 1968. She campaigned for Harold Washington, who became Chicago's first Black mayor in 1983, and worked on Jesse Jackson's presidential campaigns in 1984 and 1988.
Intersectional Activism
Barrow was also an activist for the LGBT community, including fighting for HIV/AIDS victims. She advocated for fair labor practices, women's rights, and participated in the Million Family March and protests against U.S. naval bombing in Vieques, Puerto Rico. She was a vocal advocate for women in ministry, challenging the male-dominated leadership of the church.
Later Years and Death
Barrow served as co-pastor of Vernon Park Church of God in Chicago. She mentored over a hundred people through Operation PUSH, helped raise funds for assisted living development and after-school programs, and focused on Chicago's gun violence and changes to the Voting Rights Act. She died of respiratory failure on March 12, 2015, at age 90 in Chicago. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama issued a statement honoring her life and legacy.
