Khalid Lum, a beloved and vital voice in New Haven, has died at the age of 64 after a long illness.
Lum, born Eric Fordham Lum, grew up in New York City. He was a graduate of the Hun School, Princeton University and the Black Panther Party, where he served while an undergraduate as New Jersey “minister of information,” a title he recalled with an ironic smile.
He led what is now Yale’s Afro-American Cultural Center at a time of growth, from 1971 – 1974. A notice about that was posted outside his room at the Arden House where he spent his final days until his death Tuesday night.
A gifted fiction and non-fiction writer with a brilliant intellect, Lum was a star reporter for the print edition of the New Haven Independent from 1986 – 1989. He delighted in and connected with people of all walks of life; he would interview teen drug dealers form Newhallville one day, senior preservationists from the Edgehill St. Ronan neighborhood another. Traveling around town with his pre-school daughter in tow, he would interview the mayor or the cops while dressed in scrubs — and return with scoops. He loved history, researching definitive articles on New Haven figures like Cinque/Singbeh Pieh, WIlliam “King” Lanson and Augusta Lewis Troup. Fueled by an endless supply of Pepsi and cigarettes, he would pull all-nighters at his desk, seeking to distill all his ideas into the just the right words. Possessed of a self-described “b.s. detector,” he demanded intellectual honesty from himself and those around him. He was also the joy of the newsroom, a trusted confidant who challenged people’s assumptions every day without ever employing a harsh word. He made you laugh about your foibles.
Lum left the Independent to help elect New Haven’s first African-American mayor, John C. Daniels, whose integrity and civic dedication he admired. He stayed on to serve as Daniels’ press secretary. He subsequently ran New Haven’s Greater New Haven African-American Historical Society and wrote award-winning freelance articles for the now-defunct New Haven Advocate. (Click here to read a piece he wrote on “Ghetto Celebrity.”)
Khalid, seated far left, with the gang from Willard Street, circa late 1990s.
In his later years he wrestled with a series of debilitating health challenges including a series of strokes and mini-strokes. His final diagnosis was Lewy Body Dementia.
Khalid loved people where he went. And wherever he went, people loved him.
He is survived by daughter Khadija Bshara, son Khalid Lum, son-in-law Timothy Bshara, ex-wife Lora Lum; sister Katherine Curry, Katherine’s husband Bill and their two sons; a host of other relatives.
The family plans a Sept. 19 memorial service (time not yet set) at the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale.
Rest in peace, Khalid. I spent many hours talking to, and being educated by Khalid, as a young(ish) idealist. Along with incredible depth of intelligence, he possessed a deep kindness and dedication to social justice. He also loved jazz, and introduced me to a lot of great music. I still think of him every time I hear Les McCann and Eddie Harris' "Compared to What". You shined a lot of light on this world. You will be missed, brother.