Mrs. Anita Young Teal of Richmond, California died Monday, February 12, 2024.

The funeral service will be held Friday, March 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary of the Blue Springs Baptist Church in Warwick, Georgia.  The burial will follow at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Oakfield, Georgia.

On December 12, 1948, Anita (Young) Teal was born to Samuel and Inez Young in Warwick, Georgia.  She received Christ at an early age and joined Blue Spring Baptist Church where she was an active member of the choir.  She attended New Hope Elementary School followed by JW Holly High School.  In her 12th grade year, she transferred to Worth County High School where she was the first African American to desegregate the school and was also the first black student to graduate college prep in 1966.

She and her family were heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement.  As a teen, she became a member of the Southwest Georgia Project where she helped with getting people registered to vote, assisted in helping  people get housing, and aided in getting blacks elected to the Georgia Legislature.  In 1967, she left Georgia arriving in Berkeley, CA with her cousin, Frances (Young) Montgomery and Joe Pfister—also members of the Southwest Georgia Project.

In 1968, while studying at UC Berkeley, she gave birth to her first son, Kevin Alexander.  Four years later in 1972, she gave birth to a daughter, Wazuri Hewitt.  Shortly thereafter she enrolled in the Skill Center located in Berkeley, CA.  In May of 1974, she met Vernon (Joe) Teal.  They were married on October 19, 1974.  From this union two children were born:  Vernon Teal, Jr. (1977) and Jamila Teal (1979).

In 1975, Anita gained employment with Bank of America in San Francisco as a Flexo-Typist.  She continued her career at Bank of America where she became a Senior Data Entry Operator and then a Team Leader.  She left BofA in 1989 shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake.  She joined the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Oakland, CA in 1991 where she retired as a Referral Coordinator in December of 2015.

Upon arrival to California, she joined Galilee Baptist Church under the leadership of Rev. Robert Mack.  After visiting Berkeley Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, she then became a member under the leadership of Rev. Dr. M. T. Thompson.  She was an active member of the choir, Naomi Circle, and The God Squad—where she oversaw the church service at Juvenile Hall.  She also assisted the well-known community activist, Mother Wright, with feeding the homeless.

Preceding her in death are her parents, Samuel and Inez Young; sisters, Sammie-Kate Bryant, Marie Bryant, Minnie Allen, Teresa Staley,     Gwendolyn Young and Annie-Pearl Bryant; brother, Samuel J. Young, Jr. and granddaughter, Jessica Teal.

She leaves to cherish her memory, her husband, Vernon Teal, Sr.; sons, Kevin Alexander and Vernon Teal, Jr.; daughters, Wazuri Hewitt (Dawud) and Jamila Teal; grandchildren, Joshua Hawkins, Sakaie and Midori Thrower (Brandon Luckey), Kania and Kalia Alexander, Jeremiah Teal and James Benton, Jr.; great grand, Cairo Luckey; great niece, Ta'kiya Young; sisters, Josephine Robinson (Abraham), Donna Young and Coretta Fowler (Gregory) all of Albany, GA; brothers, Raymond Young of Warwick, GA, James Clyde Young and Jasper Young (Pamela) of Ashburn, GA, Henry Young (Anita) of Albany, GA, Joseph Young of Tampa, FL, and Vincent Young of Putney, GA; and a host of relatives, extended family and friends.