The Giants of the Movement We Lost in 2023
The civil rights community lost some of its most towering and consequential figures in 2023. We will never forget them — and we will never stop working to honor their legacies and carry their work forward.
In 2023, our coalition was deeply saddened by the loss of Karen Hobert Flynn, president of Common Cause, Tom Conway, international president of the United Steelworkers, William Spriggs, chief economist at the AFL-CIO, Norman Lear, founder of People For the American Way, Lisa Renee Ransom, a fair housing champion, and Gerry Hebert, who formerly led the Campaign Legal Center.
And we remember former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, and Representative Pat Schroeder. Their service to our nation — and the service of so many other leaders, advocates, and activists who we lost this year — lives on.
We will also remember:
Herbert Young
November 13, 1936 — January 2, 2023
The civil rights activist, Herbert Young, was among the first Black people to integrate the Montgomery Area Transit System in 1961. He died on Jan. 2 at age 86.
Read More 👇🏿https://t.co/vdTWfpd7FP
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) January 19, 2023
Judy Heumann
December 18, 1947 — March 4, 2023
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Judy Heumann, known by many as a mentor, friend, and “the mother” of the disability rights movement.
Judy was 75 years old. https://t.co/JktWOsp3yC pic.twitter.com/RjFM8DgolM
— AAPD (@AAPD) March 5, 2023
Randall Robinson
July 6, 1941 — March 24, 2023
Randall Robinson was one of the most committed, effective and principled activists of the 20th century. His founding of TransAfrica, the great Africa lobby, and his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa were truly transformative. Rest in Peace & Power! https://t.co/3pODFDvjQG
— Wade Henderson (@Wade4Justice) March 25, 2023
Carolyn Long Banks
October 30, 1940 — April 12, 2023
The King Center remembers Carolyn Long Banks pic.twitter.com/zj5QKO7CbO
— The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) April 13, 2023
Harry Belafonte
March 1, 1927 — April 25, 2023
It is with great sadness our museum mourns the passing of actor, singer, producer, civil-rights activist and humanitarian, Harry Belafonte Jr.
Read the museum's full statement: https://t.co/cNsjO4ldhP pic.twitter.com/w8H5ftR4fi
— Smithsonian NMAAHC (@NMAAHC) April 26, 2023
Christine King Farris
September 11, 1927 — June 29, 2023
The King Center Mourns the Loss of Dr. #ChristineKingFarris, Founding Board Member, Esteemed Educator, Author, Activist, and Sister of #MLK pic.twitter.com/jvf38iJk1U
— The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) June 29, 2023
Charles J. Ogletree
December 31, 1952 — August 4, 2023
The HLS community mourns the passing of Charles Ogletree '78, a tireless advocate for civil rights, equality, human dignity and social justice, and a long-serving faculty member who made a monumental impact on Harvard Law School. We send our condolences to his family and friends. pic.twitter.com/o9tdrTUc8x
— Harvard Law School (@Harvard_Law) August 4, 2023
Andrew Lee Marrisett
May 4, 1936 — August 14, 2023
Birmingham mourns the loss of a dedicated civil rights activist, Andrew Marrisett. As we commemorated the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, we are reminded of his legacy. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May he rest in power. 🙏🏾https://t.co/Bo64InKLNu
— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) August 28, 2023
Hollis Watkins
July 29, 1941 — September 20, 2023
Hollis Watkins, who started challenging segregation and racial oppression in his native Mississippi as a teenager and toiled alongside civil rights icons, including Medgar Evers and Bob Moses, has died. He was 82.
Read More 👇🏿https://t.co/GbJKndI5Et
— theGrio.com (@theGrio) September 24, 2023
Sarah Stevenson
October 26, 1925 — September 26, 2023
Sarah Stevenson was a pioneer in the civil rights movement whose hard work helped to desegregate schools in North Carolina. Her legacy has made life better for children and families all over our state and we send our deep sympathy to her loved ones. – RChttps://t.co/hC7ONNTmt5
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) September 27, 2023
Hughes Van Ellis
January 11, 1921 — October 9, 2023
Hughes “Uncle Red” Van Ellis, one of the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, has died at 102.
Van Ellis was 6-months-old when a white mob killed hundreds of Black people and decimated an Oklahoma community over a century ago. https://t.co/YmFLPhicGB
— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 10, 2023
We will never, ever forget them and all of the incredible civil rights advocates and activists we lost in 2023. We fight on to honor their lives.