Cora Faith Walker, a policy chief for St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and an attorney from Ferguson, Missouri, died at the age of 37.
The cause of her death has not been released, however, according to various reports, Walker was sent to the hospital for an urgent health issue. Her family was unable to remark.
Walker, a member of the Brown School of Social Work’s inaugural Masters of Public Health class, would go on to represent Ferguson, District 74, in the Missouri House of Representatives beginning in January 2017. In July 2019, she quit and began working for Page’s administration.
Walker’s death elicited a flood of condolences and statements of sorrow from lawmakers, progressive activists, and others in St. Louis and around Missouri.
“We are devastated to learn of Cora Faith Walker’s passing,” the Missouri Democratic Party said in a tweet. “She was a perfect example of a dedicated public servant who deeply cared for the St. Louis community. We’ve lost someone very special and too soon.”
“We are all shocked and heartbroken at the sudden loss of an incredible friend and a brilliant advocate for so many,” House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, D-Springfield, said in a statement. “Cora Faith will be remembered as a fighter and a person who dedicated her life to making the world better.”