The Rev. Dwight Ramage; Minister Fought Segregation

The Rev. Dwight C. Ramage, 88, a Presbyterian minister and human relations pioneer who helped bring together segregated communities throughout Los Angeles County. Born in Adena, Ohio, Ramage was educated at Wooster College in Ohio and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. After ministries in Montana and Washington state, he became youth director for the Seattle Council of Churches, and in the early 1940s worked with migrant workers in the Imperial and Coachella valleys. Eventually, Ramage settled his family in the San Gabriel Valley and began working for the Los Angeles County Probation Department. His efforts with young people in El Monte’s “Hicks Camp” Latino neighborhood helped integrate El Monte schools in 1952. Under what became the county Human Relations Commission, Ramage worked to bring together various racial and ethnic groups in a “town meeting” atmosphere to help dispel fear and prejudice. He helped develop citizen councils in about 70 communities and foster integrated facilities such as parks and community centers. Interrupting his work for a month in 1965, Ramage lived in an African American family’s home in Greenville, Miss., and worked for civil rights there. Ramage also helped create and chaired the United Nations Assn. of Southern California to promote international human relations. On May 3 in Arcadia.