Samuel Gresham, Jr.

Sam Gresham Jr. was the first child born of Samuel Gresham Sr. and Carrie (Osborne) Gresham in Greenwood, Mississippi. The family migrated to Chicago, Illinois, where they established roots and raised their three sons.  As a young man, Sam was a star athlete in baseball and football and often served as captain for several of his high school teams. He developed strong leadership skills through these experiences and the lessons learned from his parents and grandmother. He proudly reflected on evenings spent with his father doing homework together and times when his mother routinely dropped him off at the local library. They both stressed the importance of getting a college education and his dear grandmother emphasized speaking the “King’s English” and dressing like a minister. Listening to the elders, he attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning and later attended the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania for advanced training.

Sam served for two decades as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Columbus Urban League where his work confronting community issues ranging from housing and healthcare to workforce development and youth life skills training, led the organization to become nationally recognized for its fierce, innovative, solutions driven approaches to address civil rights and equality for the African American community. He also led the construction of a new headquarters for the organization in the heart of Columbus’ African American community, which was the first newly constructed Urban League offices at that time.

As a consistent racial and social justice advocate, he was a champion for democracy, civil rights and equality. He served as Chairman of Common Cause Ohio where he led campaigns for Ohio Constitutional Amendments and was involved in numerous court cases to protect and improve election administration in Ohio. Most recently, Sam served as a litigant, representing the people of Ohio in a lawsuit against the Ohio Redistricting Commission seven times for noncompliance with Ohio laws regarding redistricting. As board member of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, this work led to him receiving the Brennan Center for Justice’s 2024 Legacy Award. 

Other career posts included the Executive Director of the Ohio Commission on African American Males, Chief of Single-Family Loan Management at the Department of Housing and Urban Development Columbus Office and Chief of Staff for the Treasure of Franklin County Cheryl Brooks Sullivan. He has served as Trustee of numerous Boards, including Columbus State University. Sam also served as a Rifleman in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. In every organization he has led or served, he brought impact, made community a priority and utilized his masterful organizational skills to enhance efficiency and growth. Both the organization and the community were better off, because he served. 

With Sam’s early career in television in Chicago, he had the honor of helping to produce the longest-running black talk show in television history at that time, the first all-Black television soap opera, Bird of An Iron Feather (1970), and the first African American history lecture series on network television. Certainly, ahead of its time, these shows tackled racism, school desegregation and community relationships with the police.  Additionally, he regularly appeared as a political analyst and featured guest on numerous radio and television shows including All Sides with Ann Fisher on NPR, The Spectrum on Channel 4, State of the State Channel 10 and NPR’s Columbus on the Record. His perspective and voice were always uniquely relevant and impactful and brought the views of those often unheard and unseen to the conversation.

Though recognized with countless awards and recognitions, and with all his accomplishments, he enjoyed spending time with family most. Grandpa was his favorite name. The routine family dinners and “field trips” bonded grandchildren together and the spirited social and political discourse around the table, always spurred strong debate and good times. Sam was the loudest fan at his grandchildren’s sporting events and school programs and was proud of their every accomplishment. He was extremely proud of all six of his children and the families and lives they have created. His love for his family, his community and his work lives on. The ingenious storytelling and timely quips kept everyone on their toes. From the 5 Ps to 40 words, his grandchildren carry his spirit of excellence and service. We all can honor his legacy by continuing the work.

Samuel Gresham Jr. is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Gresham Sr. and Carrie Gresham. He leaves to celebrate his life, his wife, Sandra Moody Gresham, children, Samuel (Cayla) Gresham III, Ryan Gresham, Charles (Kathryn) Gresham, W. Shawna Gibbs (Joseph "JT") Ayers, J'Hanna Appleby, Destiny Brown and grandchildren, Paige Smith, Isabella Gresham, Gabriella Gresham, Stella Gresham, Zion Brown, Kingston Brown, Kendah Brown, Zola Brown, Israel Brown, Carina Gresham, Riley Gresham and Phoenix Crane, and his brothers Donald Gresham and Ronald (Lynda Harper) Gresham.

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