A native of Newark Delaware’s historic New London Road community, Florine Lane Henderson’s personal commitment to the struggle against social injustice began as an immediate effect of the Brown v Board of Education decision of 1954. In 1958, Florine became one of the first students to integrate the Newark Special School District four years after the Supreme Court ruling. Florine graduated Newark High School in 1970, after which she launched into a long-term University administrative career and her ongoing promotion of higher education for underrepresented young adults. After attending both the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical & Community College, Florine devoted thirty-four years of administrative service to the University of Delaware’s Visitor Center, retiring as the Center’s Service Coordinator in 2014. Florine spent several years serving in youth and young adult ministries at Pilgrim Baptist Church and is a current member of New Elizabeth AME Church. A founding organizer of Newark’s inaugural Martin Luther King March and Celebration in 1989, Florine’s organizing work continues to shape opportunities for cultural enrichment programming such as the implementation of Newark’s first Juneteenth Celebration in 2013 and 2014. Florine served as the Chairperson of the Newark Branch NAACP’s Freedom Fund (2017-2019) and continues to broaden her scope of servant leadership as Chair of the branch’s Membership Committee (2021-present), a trained Racial Healing facilitator for the YWCA, and a founding member of Newark’s Friend’s of School Hill Association.
