Unita Blackwell

Unita Blackwell
Mayor of Mayersville, Mississippi
In office
1976–2001
Personal details
Born
U. Z. Brown

(1933-03-18)March 18, 1933
Lula, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMay 13, 2019(2019-05-13) (aged 86)
Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Jeremiah Blackwell
Willie Wright
Children1
EducationUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst (MRP)
OccupationActivist

Unita Zelma Blackwell (March 18, 1933 – May 13, 2019) was an American civil rights activist who was the first African-American woman to be elected mayor in the U.S. state of Mississippi.[1] Blackwell was a project director for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and helped organize voter drives for African Americans across Mississippi. She was also a founder of the US–China Peoples Friendship Association, a group dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between the United States and China. She also served as an advisor to six US presidents: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.[2]

Barefootin', Blackwell's autobiography, published in 2006, charts her activism.[3]

  1. ^ Blackwell 2006, p. 10.
  2. ^ Ganucheau, Adam (May 13, 2019). "Unita Blackwell, civil rights pillar and first black woman mayor in Mississippi, dies at 86". Mississippi Today.
  3. ^ "Wellesley Centers for Women — Stepping Out and Moving Forward". wcwonline.org. Archived from the original on March 11, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

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