Dolores Feemster
(1929-2018)
Reno Civil Rights Activist
Dolores Feemster wore many hats during her lifetime: civil rights activist, community leader, school counselor, wife and mother. She had a major impact on the Reno community, always focused on making life better for the people who lived there.
Born in Reno in 1929 to a white father and an African American mother, Feemster lived briefly in small communities throughout Nevada -- Winnemucca, Gardnerville, Elko -- before she settled in a modest house in northeast Reno with her husband. As her family grew, eventually numbering 12 children, she turned her house into a neighborhood hub, a safe haven for troubled teenagers, and a headquarters for community organizing and political campaigns.
As a civil rights activist, she helped fight racism in Reno in the 1950s and 60s. She participated in marches and demonstrations, led a team that painted over racist signs during the night, helped integrate Reno's schools, and volunteered years of service to the Reno-Sparks chapter of the NAACP, including serving as its president.
Feemster worked for the Washoe County School District for more than 30 years. As a counselor at Hug High School, she helped countless children find a safe place to learn and earn a diploma, and opened her home to many students after school and on weekends. In the 1970s, she ran the district's "Enter Group," an organization that recruited minority teachers and funded a volunteer busing program to help desegregate the city's schools.
Feemster devoted many years to volunteering for a wide range of non-profit organizations. In addition to her work with the NAACP, she served on the board of the Nevada Parent Teacher Association and was honored for her work at the Nevada PTA annual conference. She was a founding member the Northern Nevada Black Cultural Awareness Society and also served on the boards of Washoe Legal Services and the Community Services Agency of Washoe County. The transitional housing complex, D&K Horizons, was named as a tribute to her and former Reno City Councilwoman Kathryn Wishart.
As a member of the Economic Opportunity Program board, Feemster helped originate many services for the young and the elderly. She worked with the Washoe Association of Retarded Citizens and was instrumental in starting several programs for the intellectually challenged. After noticing that many older people had no one to visit with them or take them out to eat or shop, she started an Adopt-a-Grandparent program, recruiting college students as volunteers.
In recognition of her community service, Feemster received numerous awards, including: Mother of the Year from the Reno Business and Professional Women's Club; the University of Nevada President's Medal; and both Outstanding Achievement and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Reno-Sparks NAACP. In 1990, she was inducted into the Nevada Women's Fund Hall of Fame as a humanitarian. The Northern Nevada Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Committee honored her with its 2015 Humanitarian Award.