WCU Magazine Fall/Winter 2025

Mayor Lillian DeBaptiste ’74 Delivers the
2025 DeBaptiste Douglass Institute Lecture

The Honorable Lillian DeBaptiste ’74, mayor of the Borough of West Chester, delivered the Sixth Annual Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste Frederick Douglass Institute Lecture on October 2 in Philips Autograph Library in Philips Memorial Building, discussing “The Struggle for Democracy and Justice in America: What Would Frederick Douglass Do?”

An alumna of the University, Mayor DeBaptiste was officially sworn in as the first Black female mayor of the Borough of West Chester on January 3, 2022. She follows in the footsteps of her father, Dr. Clifford E. DeBaptiste, who served two terms as the first African American mayor in West Chester starting in 1994.

She moved to West Chester at an early age, with her parents Clifford and the late Inez E. DeBaptiste. After graduating from Henderson High School, she matriculated to West Chester State College (now West Chester University), earning a degree in psychology. She is a believer in the power of education, which was instilled by her mother and father, who were both first-generation college graduates.

In 1973, Mayor DeBaptiste joined the family business as a licensed funeral director and remains the president and director of DeBaptiste Funeral Home and of Milestone Events.

Through the years, Mayor DeBaptiste has been involved with multiple community organizations. She previously served on the board of the West Chester branch of the NAACP, the Chester County Community Foundation, Planned Parenthood, Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center, and the Charles A. Melton Arts and Education Center. Mayor DeBaptiste is also a founding member of the Valley Forge Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta.

During her tenure as mayor, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to civic engagement and community celebration. She sponsored and led the West Chester Juneteenth celebration, honoring African American history and culture. She spearheaded the West Chester 225 anniversary parade and yearlong celebration commemorating the borough’s rich heritage. Mayor DeBaptiste also sponsored the inaugural West Chester Porchfest, a vibrant event whose initial goal was to bring neighborhoods together through music and art. Currently, she is working with the West Chester Public Arts Commission to create a mural celebrating America250, marking the nation's upcoming semiquincentennial.

Mayor DeBaptiste’s family, friends, and community inspire her. A recipient of several awards, she continues to work for cultural diversity, environmental initiatives, and racial and social justice.

She considers her greatest treasure to be spending time with her family. She shares five children, four grandchildren and one great grandchild — her life’s true source of joy — with her husband, Thomas E. Lambert, Sr.

The Frederick Douglass Institute hosts the Annual DeBaptiste Douglass Lecture Series as a tribute to Frederick Douglass, the great abolitionist, orator, and statesman. This annual lecture examines issues of social justice to improve the present by learning from the past. Commemorating the abolitionist’s last public lecture on WCU’s campus near his statue, which was erected on the campus in 2013 in DeBaptiste Plaza. The lecture series is made possible through the generous gift of Dr. Clifford DeBaptiste, a recognized champion of education.

 

Borough of West Chester Mayor Lillian DeBaptiste addressed “The Struggle for Democracy and Justice in America: What Would Frederick Douglass Do?”