Waudieur “Woodie” Rucker-Hughes

Waudieur “Woodie” Rucker-Hughes, a longtime activist and educator who led the Riverside branch of the NAACP for the past two decades, died Friday, July 13.

A history teacher at North High School in Riverside from 1969 to 1975, Rucker-Hughes also served in multiple administrative roles at the Riverside Unified School District and as executive director of Opportunities Industrialization Center.

She became president of the NAACP’s Riverside branch after police fatally shot Tyisha Miller, a 19-year-old woman who had been unconscious in her car with a gun on her lap, in 1998.

Rucker-Hughes’ response to the shooting exemplified her problem-solving style, said Regina Patton-Stell, 1st vice president of the Riverside NAACP.

“She had the ability to be able to listen, No. 1,” said Patton-Stell. “Whenever she started (saying), ‘My, my, my,’ you knew her brain was ticking. And because of her relationships, she would know who to call and when to bring them in. She had personal relationships with so many people in the city, but it wasn’t just calling them — she knew exactly when to bring them into the room.”

Rucker-Hughes died shortly after 5 a.m. at Kaiser Hospital in Riverside, said Patton-Stell. She was 70.

“The family is at this point asking for prayer and to respect her daughter’s privacy as she goes through this difficult time,” Patton-Stell said, referring to Rucker-Hughes’ only daughter, Teliece. “She wants people to know she died very peacefully.”

Rucker- Hughes also named The Cochér Car Club, which in French means “ Coachmen” with her inspiration the club became what it is today, mentors for the youth of City of Riverside.

Rucker-Hughes was a member of Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz’s “Citizen’s Advisory Board,” a member of the Amos Temple CME Church Chancel Choir and the state NAACP’s executive committee, supervising the Inland region.