Georgia Davis Powers, a leading figure in the struggle for racial equality in Kentucky, died at age 92, the Associated Press reports.
Powers reportedly passed away Saturday at her brother’s home in Louisville, Ky.
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Her longtime friend Muhammad Ali said, “She was fighting for equality for all people while I was still fighting for my first Golden Gloves title.”
Ali, a Louisville native, added, “Senator Powers leaves behind a rich legacy of civic engagement and social justice.”
Her passion for justice started early. She chose—as a teenager—to quit her job at a five-and-dime store when ordered to tell black customers they couldn’t eat at the lunch counter.
Powers was instrumental in organizing marches and establishing a civil rights organization that fought to end racial segregation, particularly in public accommodations, at the height of the civil rights movement.
In 1967 she became the first African-American woman elected to the Kentucky Senate. Powers continued her efforts toward equality from the state Legislature for more than two decades.
“She walked into the Legislature, a man’s world, a white man’s world, and she did not waver,” said Kentucky state Sen. Gerald Neal, who credits Powers with inspiring him to enter public service.
Neal continued: “When you think of civil rights in Kentucky, you have to start with Georgia Davis Powers.”
Read more at ABC News.
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