Unita Blackwell
Unita Blackwell | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Mayersville, Mississippi | |
| In office 1976–2001 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | U. Z. Brown March 18, 1933 Lula, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | May 13, 2019 (aged 86) Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Jeremiah Blackwell Willie Wright |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Massachusetts Amherst (MRP) |
| Occupation | Activist |
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. 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 leader 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.
Barefootin', Blackwell's autobiography, published in 2006, charts her activism.