CANTON For every Martin Luther King Jr., there s been an Amelia Boynton a woman few have heard of, but one who was instrumental but unheralded.
Too often, the annals of history have been his story. It s no different with Black History Month. Locally, Canton has benefitted from the work and sacrifices of Black women whose contributions aren t always known. Here are a few:
ESTHER ARCHER Made Ohio history in 1947 by becoming the first Black woman to be elected to a city council anywhere in the state. Born in Alabama in 1907, Archer also was one of the first Black women to work for the former Timken Roller Bearing Co., where she was forced to use a segregated restroom. In 1989, Archer was inducted into the Stark County NAACP Black History Hall of Fame. She died in 1996.
He was 91.
According to his obituary:
Covey, a native of Martin s Ferry, joined the Navy at 17 and later graduated from Ohio State University in 1952 with a degree in public relations.
He was recruited by the former Timken Roller Bearing Co. to work as an assistant editor of the company s employee magazine, and later joined Meldrum & Fewsmith, an advertising agency in Cleveland.
In 1967, Covey launched his own advertising and marketing firm, Covey and Koons, in Canton, according to his obituary.
Covey, who later moved to North Canton, was deeply involved as a volunteer in numerous community organizations and local charities, including the Boy Scouts, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival, the Canton Advertising Club, which named him Ad Man of the Year in 1968.