The Woman Who Inspired This Blog

"History reminds us where we have been. Justice challenges us to decide where we are going."

The African American Historical Society of South-Central Pennsylvania is honored to introduce The Betty Hurdle Social Justice Blog, a space dedicated to exploring the issues that mattered most to one of Lancaster's quiet but extraordinary community leaders.

As Dr. Leroy Hopkins reflected after Betty's passing:

"Lancaster has lost an important voice for children and social and economic justice. Betty Hurdle passed on May 22, 2026, leaving a void in several organizations which she helped to lead."

This letter to the editor captures Betty Hurdle's lifelong commitment to advocating for children, families, and social justice. Lancaster New Era, June 11, 1974

Those words capture not only who Betty was, but why this blog exists.

Betty believed history was only meaningful if it helped improve people's lives today. Throughout decades of community service, she championed affordable housing, educational opportunity, neighborhood development, criminal justice, and the well-being of children and families. Whether advocating for first-time homeowners, mentoring neighborhood organizations, preserving local African American history, or speaking out when public policy failed vulnerable residents, Betty consistently placed people before politics.

This blog seeks to carry that spirit forward. Each month, we will explore topics connected to Betty's lifelong passions, including:

• Housing and neighborhood development

• Education and opportunity

• Criminal justice

• Children and youth

• Community history

• Civic engagement

• Social and economic justice

Some posts will examine historical events. Others will highlight contemporary challenges or celebrate people working toward solutions. Occasionally we will feature guest writers who share Betty's commitment to building stronger communities.

History is not simply about remembering yesterday. It is about understanding today and helping shape tomorrow. Welcome to the Betty Hurdle Social Justice Blog.

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Who Was Betty Hurdle?

Those who knew Betty best remember a woman whose life was defined by service. Dr. Leroy Hopkins recalls:

Senior portrait from J.P. McCaskey High School, Class of 1960

A 1960 graduate of McCaskey High School, Betty was an active member of her church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, participating in World Day of Prayer services while still in elementary school. Her experience in high school where she received very little advice on the labor market, likely influenced her adult life.

As an elementary school student, Betty Matthews (later Betty Hurdle) participated in Ebenezer Baptist Church's observance of World Day of Prayer, reflecting an early commitment to faith and service. Intelligencer Journal, February 8, 1951

Growing Up in Lancaster

Betty Hurdle's commitment to service began long before she became one of Lancaster's most respected community leaders. Raised in the city's Seventh Ward, she grew up in a close-knit neighborhood where churches, schools, and neighbors played an important role in shaping young lives.

From an early age, Betty was active at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where she participated in church programs and developed a lifelong commitment to faith and community service.

Learning to Serve Others

Community service was woven into Betty's life from an early age. As a young woman, she volunteered alongside Mrs. William Hurdle, helping neighborhood children decorate community Christmas trees through the Southeast Student-Parents Committee. Even then, Betty was helping create opportunities for children while strengthening the bonds that held her neighborhood together.

Betty Hurdle (second from left) joins neighborhood children and Mrs. William Hurdle (center), during a community Christmas tree project sponsored by the Southeast Student-Parents Committee. Long before becoming a recognized civic leader, Betty was already investing in Lancaster's children and neighborhoods. Lancaster New Era, December 13, 1969

Dr. Hopkins continues,

"A 1995 graduate of Leadership Lancaster, Betty served on a committee created by the County Commissioners to study housing on the Sunnyside Peninsula."

Betty Hurdle was appointed by the Lancaster County Commissioners to serve on a nine-member panel studying future housing development on the Sunnyside Peninsula. Lancaster New Era, June 14, 1999

Following her graduation from Leadership Lancaster in 1995, Betty Hurdle was recognized as one of Lancaster County's emerging community leaders. In 1996, the Lancaster County Commissioners appointed her to a nine-member panel charged with studying future housing development on the Sunnyside Peninsula, one of the county's most significant redevelopment projects.

The panel brought together leaders from government, nonprofit housing organizations, faith communities, and the private sector to examine opportunities for creating affordable housing while balancing economic development and neighborhood concerns. Betty's appointment reflected her growing reputation as a thoughtful advocate for equitable housing and community revitalization.

This appointment marked an important milestone in what would become decades of leadership in affordable housing, neighborhood development, and homeownership opportunities throughout Lancaster County.

"Her civic commitments mirrored these interests. Girls Services, Tabor, and Community First Fund were outlets for those interests when Betty lived in the city. After moving to West Lampeter, Betty spent years on the Planning Committee where the future of development in Lampeter and Willow Street was discussed."

Betty Hurdle, Chair of Community First Fund, gathers with other community leaders for their annual "Friends of the Fund" luncheon. Intelligencer Journal, Dec. 19, 1997

Serving the Community Beyond the Neighborhood

Betty Hurdle believed that strong communities are built through collaboration. Throughout her years of public service, she devoted her time and leadership to organizations working to improve the lives of children, families, neighborhoods, and local businesses.

Her civic commitments reflected the causes she cared about most, each dedicated to expanding opportunities and strengthening communities throughout Lancaster County.

"She also served on the Tabor Community Services Board and Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership where she led training in homeownership. Interviewed by a reporter she stated that her interests were, 'education, criminal justice, children and youth, and housing and neighborhoods.'"

Newspaper feature highlighting Betty Hurdle's leadership of the Bright Side Development Corporation and its vision for affordable homeownership in southeast Lancaster. Lancaster New Era, June 21, 1995.

Building Pathways to Homeownership

Betty Hurdle believed that stable housing created stronger families and stronger neighborhoods. Through her service on the Tabor Community Services Board, the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership (which later merged and became Tenfold), and as president of the Bright Side Development Corporation, she worked to expand affordable homeownership opportunities for working families throughout Lancaster.

In addition to advocating for housing policy, Betty led homeownership education programs, helping first-time buyers understand the purchasing process and the responsibilities of owning a home. Her work emphasized that affordable housing was not simply about constructing houses, but about creating opportunities for families to build stability, equity, and community.

"Besides rearing three children, Betty found time to assume a leadership role in Bright Side Baptist Church where she chaired the Bright Side Development Corporation and chaired the usher board."

Faith in Action

Betty Hurdle stands inside the sanctuary of Bright Side Baptist Church, where she chaired the Building Committee during the church's extensive restoration and renovation. LNP, September 2, 1984

Betty Hurdle's commitment to serving others was deeply rooted in her faith. Although she grew up at Ebenezer Baptist Church, she later became a leader at Bright Side Baptist Church, where she helped guide both the congregation and the surrounding neighborhood through periods of growth and renewal.

As chairman of the church's Building Committee, Betty oversaw the restoration of the congregation's sanctuary after Bright Side purchased its permanent home at 215 South Queen Street. The renovation required years of work and was accomplished largely through the dedication of church members and volunteers. Under Betty's leadership, the project became more than a building campaign. It reflected the church's belief that serving the community began with creating a welcoming place where people could gather, worship, and find support.

For Betty, the church was never simply a place of worship. It was a foundation for community leadership, neighborhood investment, and social justice, principles that would define her life's work.

"History was also important to her. She was a founding member of both the 7th Ward Oral History Project and the African American Historical Society of South-Central Pennsylvania. In both organizations she supported initiatives that illuminated and explained the history of African Americans in our area but not to the exclusion of groups that formed our community. She supported the inclusion of interviews with our Jewish neighbors in the 7th Ward because they were also part of our mosaic."

Betty Hurdle and Dr. Leroy Hopkins helped organize Lancaster's African American Heritage Walking Tours, bringing to life the stories of abolitionists, entrepreneurs, educators, and community leaders whose contributions shaped the city's history. LNP (Lancaster, PA), June 5, 2016.

Preserving the Stories That Shaped Our Community

For Betty Hurdle, history was never simply about the past. It was a way to strengthen communities by ensuring that every generation understood the people and events that came before them.

Betty was a founding member of both the Seventh Ward Oral History Project and the African American Historical Society of South-Central Pennsylvania (AAHSSCPA). Through both organizations, she worked to preserve the stories of African Americans whose lives had too often gone undocumented or overlooked.

But Betty also understood that history is most meaningful when it reflects the full story of a community. While helping document Lancaster's African American heritage, she encouraged the inclusion of interviews with the Jewish families who had also called the Seventh Ward home. She believed that every community is enriched by the many voices that contribute to its history and that preserving those voices helps future generations better understand one another.

Her commitment to history was rooted in the same principles that guided her work in housing, education, and community development: that every person deserves to be seen, every story deserves to be heard, and every community is stronger when its shared history is remembered.

"Betty will be missed. I personally first met her at least 70 years ago and I will never forget the lemon blends she served at the drugstore." ~ Dr. Leroy Hopkins