Civil rights activist Unita Blackwell made history in 1976, becoming Mississippi's first black female mayor. She died on Monday at age 86.
Unita Blackwell may have been born into humble beginnings on March 18, 1933, but her activism and courage helped change the course of history for African-Americans.Her son, Jeremiah Blackwell Jr., told CNN his mother died from a buildup of fluid in her heart and lungs, after a lengthy battle with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Blackwell was the first black female mayor in Mississippi, elected as mayor of Mayersville 12 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Because she wasn't allowed to go to school in Mississippi, she went to live with a relative,"Aunt Big Eighty," in West Helena, Arkansas.When Blackwell wasn't in school or church, she was in the fields helping pick and chop cotton -- she could pick up to 300 pounds a day. After her schooling finished, she spent most of her time working in the fields and sharecropping.That all changed in the spring of 1964. The Freedom Riders had come to Mayersville, where Blackwell was living.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Sudan faces civil disobedience as army delays transitionThousands of people remain camped outside the military headquarters in Khartoum nearly four weeks after the armed forces toppled autocratic president Omar al-Bashir.
Leer más »
Booker compares gun control fight to Civil Rights movementAsked if his “nice guy” approach appeals to Democrats, Sen. Cory Booker tells ABC’s jonkarl that Pres. Trump “wants us to fight him on his turf”: “We will not succeed by showing the worse of who we are.”
Leer más »
Suspect in synagogue shooting charged with federal hate crimes and civil rights violationsJohn Earnest had been held on state charges in the attack on the Chabad of Poway near San Diego.
Leer más »
Public safety, civil rights groups battle over face ID techSan Francisco is on track to become the first U.S. city to ban the use of facial recognition by police and other city agencies.
Leer más »
Sudan army major, protester killed as breakthrough in civil rule talksThe latest developments came as the prosecutor general's office said ousted president Omar al-Bashir had been charged over the killings of protesters during anti-regime demonstrations that led to the end of his rule last month.
Leer más »
Saudi Arabia replaces civil aviation head amid airport delaysSaudi Arabia replaced the head of its civil aviation authority on Wednesday, aft...
Leer más »
Utah mom files civil rights suit against bus driver who closed doors, dragged biracial son'He could’ve been crushed' Mother of a boy whose backpack got caught in the doors of his school bus and was dragged as the bus drove away is suing a Utah school district, saying the bus driver intentionally dragged him because he's biracial.
Leer más »
At least six dead as Sudan sees breakthrough in civil rule talksViolence followed the prosecutor general's decision to charge ousted president Omar al Bashir over the killings of protesters during demonstrations that led to the end of his rule last month.
Leer más »
The suspect in the California synagogue shooting faces 109 federal civil rights and hate crime chargesJohn Earnest, the man accused in the Poway, California, synagogue shooting, now faces 109 federal civil rights and hate crime charges, US prosecutors say
Leer más »