Community members have successfully raised the money for a University of Oregon mentor to purchase her home.
Lyllye Reynolds-Parker is a civil rights activist and UO alum who went on to help hundreds of students as an Academic Advisor at the University. When the 74-year-old was trying to find a home earlier this year, Mo Young and her friends starteda fundraiser to help her buy a house. Young says more than $76-thousand were raised. And, Reynolds-Parker has put a down payment on her dream home.
“I’m so grateful to see her happy,” Young said. “I’m so grateful to see her taking in the love that the community has for her. And starting to understand the impact she had on all of us and continues to have.”
Young said Reynolds-Parker intention was to be in her home by Christmas and that’s looking very likely. She and her sister plan to move in later this month. Reynolds-Parker is the daughter of one of Eugene’s first known Black families. The UO Black Cultural Center is named after her.