Longtime civil rights, voting rights and consumer rights activist Esther Shapiro has died, the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame confirmed to 7 Action News. She was 98.
Shapiro was the first director of Detroit's Consumer Affairs Department in 1974, and held the position until her retirement in 1998, the Hall of Fame said on its website.
She also broadcast a consumer report on WWJ in 1966 and wrote a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press.
Shapiro was inducted to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2015.
She and her husband, Harold Shapiro, were among those who pushed for voting and civil rights, and helped get African Americans elected into local offices, according to the hall of fame.
The hall of fame said she worked in the offices of Reps. John Conyers and George Crockett, and was also an early support of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the Michigan Friends of the South.
She has been recognized for her work in numerous awards, including the Warrior Award from the Detroit Urban League and the Frank Kelly Consumer Award form the State Bar of Michigan.
