BUFFALO, N.Y. — A woman who dedicated her life to developing affordable housing on Buffalo's East Side for community members now has a street sign and mural in her honor.
Dr. Rhonda Ricks was known as a pioneer in development in Buffalo for all the work she did, but she also made history as the city's first minority female developer.
Ricks passed away last June from cancer. That was shortly after she started a big project of hers called "The Forge on Broadway." It was one of several projects she was doing on the East Side, including renovations at Buffalo Public Schools and the re-use of schools 59 and 44.
To commemorate all she did for her community a street sign and mural were dedicated in her honor Sunday afternoon. They're located at Broadway and Mortimer Street, right outside where her "Forge on Broadway" apartments are.
Common Council President Darius Pridgen says he can recall talking to Rhonda before she passed. Ricks told him she didn't have time to be sick because she had too much work to do.
He says he'll always remember her as bold, daring and fearless.
"Rhonda was all of that without apology," Pridgen said. "Some people feel like when you're daring and you're fearless, that you should have to apologize especially if you're a Black woman because they'll say you're an angry Black woman. She was not angry. She was audacious. She knew what she wanted to get done and she got it done."
Pridgen says some of Ricks' best work was done during her hardest times.
One of Ricks' sons was also at the unveiling of the street sign and mural on Sunday. He said Sunday was her birthday, adding that his mom would've been 58-years-old.