Ray Miller was a Change Agent
I first met Senator Ray Miller in August of 2006 when I arrived at The Ohio State University from Purdue University where I taught for eight years, but I was familiar with his work long before then. Simply put, Senator Miller was a stalwart in Ohio politics, hence his reputation preceded him. Dr. William E. Nelson, longtime professor of political science and African American and African Studies at The Ohio State University who mentored Miller as a student at The Ohio State University, facilitated the introduction. Out of that initial meeting the Ray Miller Institute for Change and Leadership was formed in the fall of 2006. For the next five years, 20 fellows were admitted to the program each year and met every Monday for ten weeks at the African American and African Studies Community Extension Center where they were immersed in the theory and praxis of leadership development. From there a decades-long friendship began. During that time Miller served on the Department of African American and African Studies Community Extension Center’s advisory board. His participation and wise counsel were invaluable to the center’s success during my eight-year tenure as its director.
As an elected official Miller was in the mode of past notable state lawmakers such as California’s Willie Brown Jr., Shirley Chisholm of New York, Pennsylvania’s K. Leroy Irvis and L. Douglas Wilder of Virginia, to name a few. Few can deny that Miller was a champion of the people. He was skilled in the art of diplomacy yet was not afraid to ruffle feathers if doing so was needed to bring benefits back to the residents of the district he represented. To say that Miller was devoted to his constituency is an understatement.
As a friend of the African American and African Studies Community Extension Center (CEC) there were few major activities in which Miller’s presence was not felt. His advocacy on behalf of the CEC resulted in unprecedented amounts of fundraising and heightened exponentially the CEC’s national profile. During the years he was active with the CEC the CEC’s impact was apparent not only on the near eastside but throughout Columbus. Miller’s death leaves behind a void that can’t be filled by just one person and a legacy from which there is more than one lesson that is of benefit to those who aspire to public office. His journey is a fascinating one. It is the hope of this writer that some enterprising writer will take up Miller’s life in the form of a book-length manuscript.
Senator Miller was a state senator for eight years and before that a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for sixteen years. He died on Friday after a long illness, he was seventy-seven.
Judson L. Jeffries PhD, MPH, is Professor of African American and African Studies at the Ohio State University and a regular contributor to the Columbus Dispatch.
The community tribute service for Bro. Senator Ray Miller is currently scheduled for Friday, September 4, 2026 at 5pm. The family memorial service is Saturday, September 5 at 10am, both held at the Second Baptist Church (186 N 17th St, Columbus, OH 43203).