Rita Jackson Samuels (April 25, 1945March 27, 2018) was an activist in the

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

and civil rights movements. She worked as a secretary for the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African Americans, African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., ...

and participated in the 1965

Selma to Montgomery march The Selma to Montgomery marches were three protest marches, held in 1965, along the highway from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital of Montgomery. The marches were organized by nonviolent activists to demonstrate the desire of African-Amer ...

. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the staff of the governor of Georgia, then-governor

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

. Samuels later served as a White House consultant during the

Carter administration Jimmy Carter's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 39th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Jimmy Carter, his inauguration on January 20, 1977, and ended on January 20, 1981. Carter, a Democratic Party ...

. In 1980, Samuels founded the Georgia Coalition of Black Women and served as executive director. She was the first African-American to serve on the Georgia State Election Board. In 2010, she was inducted into the

International Civil Rights Walk of Fame The International Civil Rights Walk of Fame is a historic promenade that honors some of the activists involved in the Civil Rights Movement and other national and global civil rights activists. It was created in 2004, and is located at the Mar ...

References

1945 births 2018 deaths Activists for African-American civil rights American women's rights activists People from Forsyth, Georgia 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people {{US-activist-stub