Milwaukee Times File Photo: Jerry Ann Hamilton (left) and Lilly B. Wilson (right).
On Tuesday, October 14, 2025, Milwaukee lost two local civil rights leaders former National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) former president Jerry Ann Hamilton, 90; and former NAACP National Board Member and NAACP president Waukesha County Branch Lilly B. Wilson. Hamilton, a native of Gulfport, MS as was a graduate of Tougaloo College of Tougaloo, MS where she earned a bachelors of arts degree in Sociology and secondary education. She was married to the late Henry Hamilton, Jr. and was the mother of three children, grandmother to twelve grandchildren and great-grandmother to fourteen great-grandchildren. She passed away peacefully at St. Joseph’s Hospital from Alzheimer’s.
Hamilton’s civil rights mission began at Tougaloo College as the President of the college chapter of the NAACP. As a student, she interviewed the legendary civil rights leader, Medgar Evers. This was a high point in her life and she prides herself with being a civil rights activist for most of her life. Her civil rights mission was steadfast and strong since her days as a college student at Tougaloo, College. Her primary mission included; 1) supporting the brotherhood of mankind, 2) eliminating the idea that one race is inferior to another, and 3) the elimination of segregation and discrimination.
Hamilton admired and revered Dr. Martin Luther King during the civil rights struggle and has followed his philosophy of unity among all people throughout her life. She believed that his works should not be forgotten, as had many other African American heroes. She was one of the first people in the city of Milwaukee to advocate for the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday in 1969 as a teacher at Parkman Jr. High School (name change) in Milwaukee Public Schools. She initiated the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday at Parkman Junior High, annually until 1978.
As President of the NAACP, for 12 years, she and her administration lead efforts for police reform with the Frank Jude police brutality case, advocated for more Black interns in the construction industry with more minority contracts, fought Mayoral control of MPS, fought the handcuffing of unruly children in MPS, fought for changes in the BadgerCare health care system, and advocated for change in the areas of voter rights, more certified librarians in all schools, education, health reform and discrimination.
Hamilton also brought the first and only national NAACP Convention to Milwaukee, WI.
Lillie Bell Wilson, 88 was born August 29, 1937, in Brooksville, MS, and raised in Beloit. Wilson spent her life breaking racial barriers and championing justice and equality. She was the eldest of four children born to Lillie Mae and Conrad Brown.
After graduating from Beloit Memorial High School and the Rockford School of Business, Wilson went on to become the first black employee at several major corporations, including Globe Union, Schlitz Brewing Company, ILCI Transportation, Salespower, and GE Medical Systems (now GE Healthcare). While at GE, she helped establish one of the company’s first diversity partnerships with the Waukesha County NAACP.
Her decades-long advocacy included serving as president of the NAACP Waukesha Branch, vice president of the Wisconsin NAACP Conference of Branches, board member of the National NAACP, and board member for Waukesha United Way and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Even after retirement, she continued to lead and inspire — working part-time as a buyer and model with Bruce Paul Goodman, the Fashionable Clothier, where her elegance and creativity shone through.
Hamilton’s funeral arrangements are scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 11:00AM at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 5277 N. 36th St. Wilson memorial services will be announced at a later date.
