Civil rights activist and educator Helen Rucker of Seaside dies at 93.

Helen Rucker, a longtime leader and activist, died early Wednesday morning, Nov. 19 in her home. She was 93 and been in hospice care in her Seaside home for several months.

Rucker was retired from a career as a teacher and librarian. But she was better known for various other roles, including holding elected office as a member of Seaside City Council beginning in 1992 then on the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District board of trustees starting in 2005. She served as president of the NAACP Monterey County branch and in founding the Seaside Voter Education Center in 2008, championed voter registration and outreach efforts to promote civic participation—something she said was her most important and enduring action.

Her influence was acknowledged far and wide in her later years with recognition for leadership in the Black community and beyond. 

In 2022, CSU Monterey Bay dedicated the Helen Rucker Center for Black Excellence in her honor. 

“We recognize those who, through their service or advocacy, have made significant contributions to CSUMB and the community,” said Brian Corpening, who was at the time the Chief Diversity Officer at CSUMB. “Helen Rucker has both contributed and served as a shining example of what tireless commitment and advocacy can accomplish.”

She also received an honorary doctorate degree from CSUMB. 

In 2023, she was honored by the County of Monterey for her role in civic education and outreach, and Feb. 14 was proclaimed Helen Rucker Day. 

“Helen Rucker continues to be a trailblazer throughout Monterey County by spreading the word on the importance and privilege of participating in our democracy,” the County Board of Supervisors’ resolution read. 

The City of Seaside emblazoned her name on a star in the sidewalk in its first round of Seaside Stars. 

She was influential in local politics for many years, and remained engaged well after she was no longer on the Seaside City Council, including getting involved in controversial topics, such as participating in an effort to oust a former city manager and more recently in 2020, joining a recall effort against then-Seaside councilmember Jon Wizard.

Rucker was born and raised in Louisiana, then in the 1960s moved to Oakland where she met her husband, James. They moved to Seaside in 1964 when he was stationed at Fort Ord.

She faced racial injustice at a young age in segregated Louisiana, and was denied access to a library as a child. "Rather than being deterred, she developed a profound love of learning and books," according to an obituary written by her son, James, along with friends. 

Rucker attended Southern University, where she earned a bachelor's degree at age 18. She later earned a master's library science from Louisiana State University, where she was the first Black student to integrate the Library School.

She already held credentials to be a school librarian when they arrived on the Monterey Peninsula, but recounted in 2012 how she encountered overt racism upon seeking a job at MPUSD. She got involved in the local NAACP and by 1968, she was running a school library program within MPUSD.

Rucker continued to share stories about fighting to advance justice, civil rights and democratic principles throughout her life, and her friends, colleagues and mentees are now encouraging the next generation to do the same. 

In a statement as chair of the Monterey County Democratic Central Committee, Mayor Ian Oglesby said, "[Rucker] nurtured generations of students, families, and community leaders. Her voice will be missed. Her impact will endure.