Current:Home > MarketsCivil rights activist Sybil Morial, wife of New Orleans’ first Black mayor, dead at 91 -Core Financial Strategies
Civil rights activist Sybil Morial, wife of New Orleans’ first Black mayor, dead at 91
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:01:04
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sybil Haydel Morial, a civil rights activist, widow of New Orleans’ first Black mayor, Dutch Morial, and mother to former Mayor, Marc Morial, has died at age 91.
Her family announced her death Wednesday in a statement issued by the National Urban League, which Marc Morial serves as president and CEO. Details on the time and cause of death were not released.
“She confronted the hard realities of Jim Crow with unwavering courage and faith, which she instilled not only in her own children but in every life she touched,” the statement says.
Sybil Morial met Ernest Nathan “Dutch” Morial in the summer of 1954. She supported him as he ran for the legislature and the mayor’s office while she worked as a teacher and raised their five children.
Morial also was a leader in her own right. She founded the Louisiana League of Good Government, which helped Black people register to vote, and held numerous positions at Xavier University, one of the historically Black institutions in the city.
She also championed the building of a pavilion dedicated to the African American experience at the 1984 World’s Fair in New Orleans and helped produce a documentary about desegregation in the city.
“Mrs. Morial’s legacy as the matriarch of the iconic Morial family and her own contributions to civil rights and the city of New Orleans will forever be remembered with reverence and gratitude,” U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, a New Orleans Democrat, said in a news release.
veryGood! (885)
Related
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- As Maryland’s General Assembly Session Opens, Environmental Advocates Worry About Funding for the State’s Bold Climate Goals
- Armed man fatally shot by police in Baltimore suburb, officials say
- Steve Martin Defends Jo Koy Amid Golden Globes Hosting Gig Criticism
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- A judge has found Ohio’s new election law constitutional, including a strict photo ID requirement
- Nebraska upsets No. 1 Purdue, which falls in early Big Ten standings hole
- No charges to be filed in death of toddler who fell into cistern during day care at Vermont resort
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- A legal battle is set to open at the top UN court over an allegation of Israeli genocide in Gaza
Ranking
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Investigation into why a panel blew off a Boeing Max 9 jet focuses on missing bolts
- “We are on air!” Masked gunmen storm TV studio in Ecuador as gang attacks in the country escalate
- Why are these pink Stanley tumblers causing shopping mayhem?
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Republicans are taking the first step toward holding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress
- Mexican authorities investigate massacre after alleged attack by cartel drones and gunmen
- Researchers find a massive number of plastic particles in bottled water
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
RHOSLC Reunion: Heather Gay Reveals Shocking Monica Garcia Recording Amid Trolling Scandal
As the Senate tries to strike a border deal with Mayorkas, House GOP launches effort to impeach him
When are the Emmy Awards? What to know about the host, 2024 nominees and predicted winners
Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing
Storms hit South with tornadoes, dump heavy snow in Midwest
Diet for a Sick Planet: Studies Find More Plastic in Our Food and Bottled Water
'Holding our breath': Philadelphia officials respond to measles outbreak from day care