New Haven Independent

Edmonds moved to New Haven when Richard C. Lee was mayor, and quickly became a powerbroker. Through his political skills, he helped build a black middle-class in New Haven. For decades his was a prominent voice in demonstrations for peace and social justice.

You can hear Edmonds reflect on urban renewal, in an interview posted here by the New Haven Oral History Project.

He was still active in the city, as minister of the most influential black church in town and as head of the Board of Education, when he reflected on growing older in a 1988 interview with the old print version of the New Haven Independent. Following is the write-up from that interview, which appeared in print on May 19, 1988:

Secrets of seniors in charge
Edwin Edmonds, 70: Invigorating “cause”

Like a lot of people over 65, the Rev. Edwin Edmonds doesn’t use senior citizen discounts. He’s not trying to ignore the reality of age. He simply has more pressing matters occupying his mind. “I never have to think about it,” he says. “I’m on a plane — and I’m gone.”
Some of the things on his mind: Serving as pastor of the Dixwell Avenue United Church of Christ. Chairing the city’s Board of Education, the Wider City parish, the national Commission for Racial Justice of the Untied Church of Christ. Teaching sociology at Southern Connecticut State University.
Make no mistake about it. You may not see his name in the newspaper quite as often as, say, those of some elected officials. But Edmonds has been for years an acknowledged power to reckon with — arguably the most formidable power in the black community and the school system.
Whether excoriating combative members of the Board of Aldermen or expounding on a controversial topic in a newspaper interview, Edmonds exudes passion. That passion, he says, helps explain his stamina.
“If you have something you love doing, you don’t have time to age. If you convince yourself you’ve got to be sick, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy,” Edmonds reflects. “Having a cause makes life meaningful, invigorating. I want to see the good society where people are appreciated for themselves. Not for being ‘a good colored boy’ or whatever the epithet.”
One such epithet he finds degrading, with its attendant implications, is that of the decrepit, washed-up old man. An example: he has taught courses at Southern since 1966. To this day he’ll spend three hours on his feet at the front of the class. Yet because of mandatory retirement rules at state-run universities, he lost tenure once he reaced 70. Each year he must apply for special permission to teach. He gets the permission, but finds the hassle demeaning.