Rita Jackson Samuels

Rita Jackson Samuels (April 25, 1945 – March 27, 2018) was an activist in the women's rights and civil rights movements. She worked as a secretary for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and participated in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march. She was the first African-American woman to serve on the staff of the governor of Georgia, In 1980, Samuels founded the Georgia Coalition of Black Women and served as executive director. She was the first African-American to serve on the Georgia State Election Board. In 2010, she was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.