Unita Blackwell

Born March 18, 1933, in Lula, Mississippi Died May 13, 2019, in Biloxi, Mississippi

The first black woman mayor in Mississippi, Unita Blackwell was elected mayor of Mayersville in 1976. She was one of the key organizers of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which challenged the seating of the all-white delegation from that state to the Democratic National Convention in 1964. She was the national president of the U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association from 1976 to 1983. Blackwell served as chair of the Black Women’s Mayor Caucus and president of the National Conference of Black Mayors. Blackwell was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 1992. Barefootin’, Blackwell’s autobiography, was published in 2006.