Edith Savage-Jennings

Edith Mae Savage-Jennings (March 17, 1924 – November 12, 2017) was an American civil rights leader from New Jersey. She was known for her association with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

She was notable for being a guest to the White House under every president of the United States from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Barack Obama. She was inducted into the New Jersey Women's Hall of Fame in 2011.

Early life Savage was born in 1924 at Jacksonville, Florida, Following the death of her parents, Savage and her siblings went to live with her aunt, who moved the family to New Jersey. Although told not to say anything, Savage thanked Roosevelt which led to the two becoming pen pals for the remainder of Roosevelt's life.

At 12 years old, she joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, became Savage's close friends. Later that same year, she organized the New Jersey Democratic Coalition.

In 2017, she was a keynote speaker at the Women's March in Trenton.

Death Savage died on November 12, 2017, at her home in Trenton, New Jersey, at the age of 93.

Awards and honors Savage received more than 100 awards and honors for her work in Civil Rights.

Savage was a guest to the White House under every president of the United States from Franklin Delano Roosevelt through Barack Obama.