Rita Schwerner Bender

Rita Schwerner Bender (née Levant; born 1942) is an American civil rights activist and lawyer. She and her first husband, Michael Schwerner, participated in the Freedom Summer of 1964, where Michael was murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. As his young widow, she drew national attention for her commentary on racial prejudice in the United States, delivered at a press conference after her husband went missing. After the Civil Rights Movement, Schwerner became an attorney,^[1] practicing family law in Washington state. She continues to advocate for civil rights through her law practice and public presentations.