Rosetta Miller Perry

A QUEEN MOTHER'S JOURNEY HOME

In Loving Memory of Rosetta Miller-Perry

On June 26, 2026, God looked down from his Heavenly garden and picked a rose. On this day, God did not simply pick a rose – He summoned a matriarch, a warrior and a queen mother home. The rose he picked on this day was Rosetta (Irvin) Miller-Perry. A rose that blossomed into a life that was so extraordinary that it could not be measured merely by the years of life she lived, but by the countless lives she touched, the barriers she shattered, the truths she dared to tell, and the doors she opened for generations in existence and those yet unborn.

Today, with hearts both heavy and grateful, we celebrate the remarkable life and enduring legacy of Mrs. Perry—a warrior for justice, a guardian of truth, a champion for the voiceless, a builder of institutions, and a woman whose footprints are permanently etched into the history of Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee, the surrounding areas and this nation. As the sun sets on her earthly journey, the heavens surely rejoice in welcoming home a servant whose life was poured out in service to others.

Born in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, on July 7, 1934 to the late Anderson and Mary Hall Irvin, Mrs. Perry possessed a spirit that could never be confined by circumstances. From an early age, she understood that her life would be dedicated to something greater than herself. Born to parents that were well to do, she was encouraged and inspired to be great, seek truth and speak up and speak out. She was a truth seeker in the classroom, an advocate for equality for black students at the local grocery store as a bagger among white boys and had courage beyond her years. She enlisted in the United States Navy in January 1955, answering her nation's call to service. While many merely witnessed history, Mrs. Perry helped shape it. Her journey carried her from McKinley Elementary School and Coraopolis Jr. High to the United States Navy to the halls of the Pentagon working for a supervisor that wished she were white in a leadership position fighting less qualified superiors to the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement advocating for the rights of the voiceless.

A Force in the Civil Rights Movement

A lifelong believer in education, she pursued knowledge relentlessly as a student at Howard University and Herzl Community College. She continued her studies at Tennessee State University, Meharry Medical College and later earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in chemistry and mortuary science from the University of Memphis. Her pursuit of excellence was never for personal gain alone; it was preparation for a life dedicated to lifting others. As a mortician in a white male dominated industry, she was committed to providing services that reflected dignity to the deceased in black communities.

When the winds of the Civil Rights Movement swept across America, Rosetta (Irvin) Miller-Perry stood not on the sidelines, but in the trenches of history. She worked alongside giants. She marched with courage. She stood shoulder to shoulder with leaders such as Z. Alexander Looby, Reverend Kelly Miller Smith, Curley McGruder, and countless others who risked everything in pursuit of justice.

In Memphis, she worked closely with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLU) and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., serving first as a clerk typist and later as a field representative. She became a trusted observer during one of the most turbulent periods in American history. She witnessed the struggle. She witnessed the resistance. She witnessed the tragedy that tried to strip hope from the black community.

As a federal observer assigned to monitor Civil Rights activities during the Memphis Sanitation Strike, she stood among those who experienced firsthand the chaos, grief, and heartbreak surrounding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rosetta (Irvin) Miller-Perry witnessed the bloodshed on the day that shattered black America.

History would record those events. However, Rosetta (Irvin) Miller-Perry carried them in her heart.

A Titan in Government and Media

Those experiences strengthened her resolve to fight for equality wherever injustice existed. In 1975, Nashville became blessed by her presence. As Director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for the Nashville area, she fearlessly investigated discrimination and challenged systems that denied opportunity to African Americans and other marginalized communities.

She walked into boardrooms others feared to enter. She confronted injustice others refused to acknowledge. She demanded accountability when silence would have been easier. She understood that progress required courage. Courage was something Mrs. Perry possessed at an early age in abundance. Yet perhaps her most transformative chapter was still ahead.

Following her retirement from government service, she embarked upon a journey that would forever change the landscape of Black media in Tennessee. With little experience in publishing but an unwavering belief in the importance of Black voices, she founded Perry & Perry Associates with $70,000 dollars of her own money and launched Contempora Magazine and later in the early 90’s, The Tennessee Tribune. What began as a vision became a movement. A movement birthed from the belly of the institution that refused to give her a loan for her black business, the black community and the future initiatives that proved “black lives matter.”

At a time when many stories of Black achievement went untold, Mrs. Perry created a platform where the Black community could see itself reflected with dignity, excellence, and truth. She refused to allow others to define the narrative. She understood that newspapers are more than ink on paper—they are mirrors of a community's soul. Through The Tennessee Tribune, she gave voice to the voiceless for over 30 years. She celebrated victories others ignored. She challenged systems that preferred darkness to truth. She amplified stories that deserved to be heard. She built a family media empire focused on positive black narrative, black power and uplift whose impact will continue for generations.

For decades, she remained a powerful force within the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), becoming one of the nation's most respected advocates for the Black Press. Her contributions earned her the 2019 NNPA Lifetime Achievement Award and the distinguished title of "Queen Mother of the Black Press." Few titles have ever been more fitting. A queen mother nurtures. A queen mother protects. A queen mother teaches. A queen mother leaves behind a legacy that endures long after she has departed. Rosetta (Irvin) Miller-Perry embodied all of those qualities and more.

A Builder of Institutions and Opportunity

Never content to address only one challenge at a time, she founded the Greater Nashville Black Chamber of Commerce in 1998, recognizing the need for advocacy, support, and economic empowerment within Nashville's African American business community.

She built opportunities where none existed. She created pathways where walls once stood. She believed Black businesses deserved not merely survival, but prosperity. Her commitment to future generations led to the creation of the Anthony J. Cebrun Journalism Center, inspiring young people to pursue careers in journalism and media. Her vision mentored over 50 young black students who entered politics, the Hollywood landscape and rose as local change makers in the greater Nashville community. She understood that legacy is not measured by what we accumulate, but by what we leave behind. Mrs. Perry leaves behind an abundance. She leaves behind a legacy of learning through the Rosetta Miller-Perry Endowment at Tennessee State University and the Rosetta Miller Scholarship given by Memphis State University that is awarded at the Nashville Film festival as a namesake.

She was a founding member of numerous civic and social organizations, including the Coalition of 100 Black Women, Les Gemmes, Incorporated Nashville Chapter as a charter member, the National Council of Negro Women, and the landmark building of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (Alpha Delta Omega Ivy Center) meeting facility and countless initiatives dedicated to service and empowerment. She was also a key member of the Women’s Suffrage Movement that erected statues in support of the women’s right to vote initiatives in Nashville, TN.

Her passion to encourage minorities to vote carries heavy in the community. Her hope lives on that citizens will continue exercising this right for change and quality. Vote is the resounding trumpet call she unapologetically leaves to all minorities. Vote is the call to action she leaves to the mass number of minority faces the establishment of today tries to rapidly erase. Vote is the first step of empowering and continuing her long legacy of activism, empowerment and Civil Rights engagement.

To the young women of Les Gemmes' Lighting the Path for Girls Initiative, she was more than a supporter. She was a mentor. A benefactor. A cheerleader. A guiding light. A living example of what determination, faith, and service can achieve.

Throughout her life, awards flowed toward her like rivers toward the sea. More than 500 local, state, and national honors recognized her extraordinary contributions. From celebrities such as James Earl Jones, Cynthia Saint James the illustrator for the highly celebrated “Waiting to Exhale” to photo ops with Hillary Clinton, those who knew her best understand that the true measure of her greatness cannot be found in plaques, certificates, trophies, or titles. Her greatness lived in the student who received a scholarship. The entrepreneur who received encouragement. The family whose story was told. The community whose voice was amplified. The dreamer who found inspiration in her example. Her scholarship endowment in the Communications Center at Tennessee State University is a testament of her unwavering belief in not only black journalists, but Black journalism as well.

Locally she was beloved by the community for her bold and unwavering dedication to the Black experience. She stood as one of Nashville’s defining voices, shaping the city’s conscience and elevating the Black experience with courage, clarity and conviction. She was celebrated as one of Tennessee State University’s Honorary Grand Marshalls – honored during the University’s legendary, iconic Homecoming celebration, a tradition unmatched in pride and spirit.

Even in her later years, Rosetta Miller-Perry continued making history. From her published book “Getting the Word Out” highlighting black female newspaper publishers now housed in the Library of Congress elevate the stories of Black female newspaper publishers whose contributions shaped the nation’s media landscape. Through the Tennessee Tribune News and Gift Stores at Nashville International Airport, she created unprecedented opportunities for diverse suppliers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs to compete on one of the nation's largest commercial stages. She opened doors that others had closed. She created seats at tables where none previously existed. She transformed possibility into reality again and again.

As a designated Pearl member (65 years) of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, where she was inducted on May 2, 1959 at Tennessee State University’s Alpha Psi Chapter she upheld the highest ideals of scholarship, service, sisterhood and social progress. Her generosity helped build and strengthened institutions that will continue to uplift communities for generations. Her business leadership and unwavering commitment to community advancement remain woven into the very foundation of the Ivory Center of Nashville that houses the Alpha Delta Omega Chapter of the sorority.

A Legacy that will Never Fade

And now, after decades of service, sacrifice, leadership, and love, this extraordinary woman has laid down her earthly burdens. The presses may pause. The meetings may adjourn. The speeches may end. However, her influence will never be silenced. Her legacy continues to speak – boldly, clearly and without end.

For every student she inspired, every entrepreneur she encouraged, every injustice she challenged, every truth she printed, every scholarship she funded, and every life she touched stands today as a living testimony to a life beautifully and purposefully lived.

The torch she carried now rests in our hands. May we carry it with the same courage. The same determination. The same conviction. In addition, the same unwavering commitment to justice and truth that shaped every chapter of her life’s work.

Rest well, Queen Mother. Rest well, trailblazer. Rest well, history maker. Rest well, servant leader. Though the final pages of your earthly story may have reached their final chapter, the legacy you authored will continue to be read, celebrated, and cherished for generations to come.

Well-done, good and faithful servant. Your race has been run. Your work has been completed. Your crown has been earned. In addition, heaven is brighter because you are home, welcomed into the eternal rest reserved for those who have poured out their lives in service, truth and love.

Her Loving Family

Mrs. Rosetta (Irvin) Miller-Perry was preceded in death by her former husband, William L. Miller Sr. (Father of William, Wanda and Lawrence), and the late Dr. L.O.P Perry; step children, Ludwald Perry ( Luddy) and Janet Perry-Hooks, Anna Perry Pam Perry – Donan and son in law, Bill Donan. She was preceded in death by sisters, Tilvey Braxton and Geraldine Heath and brothers, Anthony Irvin, Anderson Irvin, Jr., and Albert Irvin.

She is survived by sisters, Joanne Artis, Mary Ann Fuller and brother, Andrew Irwin. Mrs. Perry leaves behind a rich legacy to carry the torch through her children), Victoria DeBerry, (Dr John DeBerry)_ daughter, Wanda Miller-Benson (Steve,deceased) and son, William Leo Miller, Jr. Lawrence and Heidi Lenoir. She leaves behind her loving and supportive nephew, James Artis, Jr.; sister in laws, Helen McArthur and Shelva Houston and grandchildren, Alexis DeBerry, Lauren_DeBerry, husband James Robertson, Brandon Sawyers, Connor Benson, William Miller, III,( Lavestia and Ron Harper)) Regina Miller, Tonya McKinney, Lawrence Simmons and, Lajania Lenoir and a host of nieces, nephews, great grandchildren and a wide community of beloved supporters, friends and benefactors.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to one of the following; Meharry Medical College in care of the Dr. L.O.P. Perry and Rosetta Miller Perry Scholarship fund, Rosetta Miller Perry Scholarship fund at Tennessee State University, Rosetta Miller Perry Scholarship fund University of Memphis or Les Gemmes Inc. Nashville Chapter Lighting The Path Way For Girls.

The funeral service for Sis. Rosetta Miller Perry will be streamed live on our Mount Zion Baptist Church Care Ministry YouTube channel at the funeral hour. Here is the link- https://youtube.com/live/Gsfk2eAFhzI?feature=share