(Baltimore, MD) -- The civil rights activist who helped lead desegregation efforts at the old Read's drug store lunch counter, Helena Hicks, has died.
Hicks was 88 and lived in Northwest Baltimore when she died from pneumonia last Thursday.
As a young girl, Hicks picketed Baltimore's Ford's Theatre over its Jim Crow admission policies.
She went on to receive a master's degree from Howard University and a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Hicks joined a group of other students who successfully protested the segregation policy at the Read's drug store at Howard and Lexington Streets.
The protest preceded the historic sit-in in Greensboro, North Carolina, by almost five years.
Following the protest, the president of the drugstore chain dropped its racial barrier at its eating establishments.
Hicks retired as a director in the city's Department of Human Resources.
Helena Hicks, a prominent Baltimore civil rights advocate, has died at 88. Her courageous activism, including leading protests to desegregate Read’s drug store lunch counter in the 1950s, marked her legacy. A steadfast voice for justice, she left an indelible impact. 🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/Tc8GA0qGzY
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 25, 2024
24/7 News Source contributed to this article.