Biography

Growing up, she chopped cotton with her mother when not living with relatives in Arkansas, where her mother had sent her for better schooling.

She joined the civil rights movement in the 1960s, and was arrested many times for her efforts to register African American voters.

She received a MacArthur Foundation grant in 1992, which brought national attention to the struggles of the small impoverished town of Mayersville, Mississippi. She was the mayor for many years, leading the establishment of public water and sewer systems, and the paving of roads. Under her leadership, the town acquired its first firetruck.

Most people who helped break down the walls were just moving a brick because the brick was right in their face. For me, what was in my face was getting some books to my child, and giving him a chance to read and write.