Business Leader, Civil Rights Advocate, Star Athlete Van Leesten Dies
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Michael Van Leesten has died.
Van Leesten, who was 80 at his passing, was a leading business leader and civil rights advocate in Rhode Island for more than 50 years.
He burst on to the public sphere as a star basketball player at Rhode Island College. His athletic success put him among the best basketball players in Rhode Island history. He graduated in 1965 from RIC.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTUpon graduation, Van Leesten became active in the civil rights movement. “I participated in SCLC SCOPE project in Choctaw County, Alabama with six other college students doing community organization and voter registration work. It was a defining point in my life,” Van Leesten said.
"Mike Van Leesten was my age and one of my closest friends. He spent a summer in the Movement in Alabama and I spent two years as a civil rights lawyer in Mississippi," said Malcolm Farmer -- a former Providence City Councilman and top corporate attorney in Providence.
"We often talked about how those experiences made us better persons, fathers, community leaders and husbands. It was an unbelievable treat to work with Mike at OIC and in other efforts to combat the ill effects of Amèrica’s original sin which are stronger than ever. Mike fought for social justice without ever seeking credit and with humanity. He remains one of Rhode Island’s greatest citizens. Every American has suffered a great loss," said Farmer.
Jim Vincent told GoLocal on Friday, “It is a huge loss for the community. He was an icon — an unbelievable life.”
“Van Leesten was a drum major for justice,” said Vincent.
You Name It -- Van Leesten Did It
His career included serving as Executive Assistant to the Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.
Under the late Providence Mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci, he served as the director of the Department of Planning and Development for the City of Providence.
He helped to create and lead the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Rhode Island — not once but twice.
“I knew Mike from growing up down the street. He was bigger than life. He was a powerful force, a change agent and a man completely committed to making Rhode Island better,” said Josh Fenton, Co-founder and CEO of GoLocal.
“Simply, he was The Man," said Fenton.
Van Leesten was the former chairman of the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation. He has held leadership positions in the NAACP, Urban League, the Black Repertory Company, and the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society.
This story was first published 8/23/19 5:20 PM and it was updated at 8:00 PM.
