Civil Rights Icon and Leader of Nonprofit Johnnie Carr, 97, Dies

The Washington Post reports that civil rights icon, Johnnie Carr, a childhood friend of Rosa Parks, died on Friday, February 22, at the age of 97.  The article reports that she “kept a busy schedule of civil rights activism up to her final days.”  The article further reports that “Carr succeeded the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association in 1967, a post she held at her death.”  Here is a brief excerpt of the article:

As the Improvement Association’s president, Carr helped lead several initiatives to improve race relations and conditions for blacks.  She was involved in a lawsuit to desegregate Montgomery schools, with her then 13-year old son, Arlam, the named plaintiff. . . . [Quoting Julian Bond, a civil rights icon in his own right, the article provides that,] there were many people who spoke who were much better known . . . but she carried the day.’ . . . [Bond further stated that,] she was remarkable to have had such a long career and to have held concern for justice in the forefront for all this time,’ he said.  ‘It’s a great tragedy that she’s gone, and those of us who knew her are blessed to have that experience.’

The Montgomery Improvement Association is a 501(c)(3) public charity.  It was founded December 5, 1995 by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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