LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Former Louisville Urban League President Ben Richmond was laid to rest Saturday.
Friends, family, and community leaders joined together at the St. Stephen Baptist Church to honor the community leader.
Richmond served as the president and CEO of the Urban League from 1987, until he retired in 2015.
“Ben was a voice for the voiceless and the disinherited," said Rev. Dr. Kevin Cosby. “Our city, our state, and our nation are better because Lord sent brother Ben our way.”
Richmond helped push economic development in west Louisville, and a local advocate for diversity and inclusion across the city.
“When God wanted to lift Louisville, God used Ben Richmond. He served you, Lord, by serving other people. He has left an example for all of us to follow," Cosby said.
Richmond battled Acute Myeloid Leukemia and was a frequent recipient of blood transfusions to help manage his conditions, his family said. Richmond's family is encouraging others to become a blood donor so that "life-sustaining treatments like the ones Ben received can be available to everyone who needs them."
In lieu of cards and flowers, Richmond's family requests that donations be made to the Benjamin K. Richmond Legacy Endowment.
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