Carolyn Long Banks, trailblazer in civil rights, politics, dies
Banks was the first Black woman to serve on the Atlanta City Council.
Beloved civil rights activist Carolyn Long Banks died Wednesday at age 82 after a long illness, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.
Her daughter, April Wyatt, said Banks was surrounded by family when she passed, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Banks is the first Black woman to serve on the Atlanta City Council from 1980 to 1997. Councilmembers Michael Julian Bond and Andrea L. Boone shared heartfelt statements Wednesday in honor of her legacy.
“She was like a surrogate mother to me all of my life and a tremendous mentor to me in my public career,” said Bond, son of the late civil rights activist Julian Bond, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.
After graduating from Henry McNeil Turner High School, Banks attended Clark College (known now as Clark Atlanta University). She joined Delta Sigma Theta Inc. while at the university and remained active in the sorority throughout her life, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Banks co-founded the Atlanta Student Movement, which inspired Black college students to promote peaceful demonstrations against legalized segregation, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The former councilwoman also wrote a manifesto in collaboration with the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that outlined the issues impacting the Black community.
“Throughout her life, she had an unwavering commitment toward social and economic justice,” said Bond, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Following the retirement of Marvin Arrington Sr., voters appointed Banks to the Atlanta City Council in 1980. After being re-elected several times, she became the National League of Cities president from 1994 until 1997, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Councilwoman Keisha Sean Waites said Banks “made people feel comfortable with women serving in leadership roles.”
Boone remembers Banks as having “a truly astounding impact on our community.”
Among Banks’ achievements include being Rich’s Department Store’s first Black buyer, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Additionally, during his tenure as Georgia’s governor, Jimmy Carter asked her to serve on the Commission on the Status of Women. Harvard University also hired her as a counselor for first-time elected municipal officials.
Andre Dickens, mayor of Atlanta, said Banks “dedicated her life to serving the city she loved and improving the lives of the people who call it home.”
Banks is survived by her two children, April and James.
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