Robert Curvin (February 23, 1934 – September 30, 2015) was an advocate for Newark, New Jersey, activist, and historian, who had a key role in the 1967 Newark riots.[1] He lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark and devoted much scholarly effort to the issue of urban poverty.[1]
During the Newark Riots, Curvin attempted to calm rioters.[1] Said historian Clement Price, "“He displayed immense personal courage during the height of the riots by grasping a bullhorn, climbing atop a car and exhorting a restive crowd not to riot and instead stage a peaceful march on City Hall,” [1]
Curvin campaigned for Newark's first Black mayor Kenneth A. Gibson and was a trusted advisor to Gibson.[6][7]
He received a 2015 Ryan Award for Commitment to NJPAC and Leadership in the City of Newark at NJPAC's 20th Annual Spotlight Gala and was a member of the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni.[8]
He spent much of his last years in academic work writing his book Inside Newark.[7]
He died of multiple myeloma in 2015, at the age of 81.[2]
Curvin and his wife Patricia lived in the Vailsburg section of Newark.[7] They had a son and a daughter: Frank and Nicole.[7] Robert shares a daughter, Melanie Adams with the late Nannette Adams.
^"Four Belleville Men Receive Basic Training Assignments", The Belleville Times-News, August 14, 1953. Accessed February 18, 2022, via Newspapers.com. "Donald C. Pissott, Anthony Corsi, Carmen Sorice Jr., and Robert Curvin, all of Belleville, have recently been assigned to the 9th Infantry Division for Basic Training at Fort Dix. Pissott, Sorice and Curvin are all former Belleville High School students."
