Dorie Ann Ladner, a dedicated advocate for equality and civil rights in Mississippi, known for her involvement with the NAACP, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and voter registration efforts, has passed away, her family has confirmed.
“My beloved sister, Dorie Ladner, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 11, 2024,” wrote her younger sister, Joyce Ladner, on Facebook. “She will always be my older sister who fought tirelessly for the marginalized and oppressed. She leaves behind a profound legacy of service.”
In a phone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Joyce Ladner shared that she and her sister, born 15 months apart, grew up in Palmer’s Crossing, a community just south of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
“My sister was exceptional. She possessed great strength, was incredibly tough, and displayed immense courage,” said Joyce Ladner, a former interim president of Howard University.
Reflecting on a memory from their youth, she recounted an incident where Dorie bravely stood up against an act of aggression, showcasing her conviction for justice.
Dorie Ladner and her sister later played instrumental roles in establishing an NAACP Youth Council Chapter in Hattiesburg. Their commitment to challenging segregation persisted during their time at Jackson State College, resulting in their expulsion but eventual enrollment at Tougaloo College, where they actively engaged with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
“SNCC was like the elite force of the civil rights movement,” shared Joyce Ladner. “Dorie prioritized her advocacy for Black rights to the extent of leaving her studies, stating ‘I cannot focus on education when our community is in pain.’”
As one of the early pioneers in voter registration efforts in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1964, Dorie faced intense challenges amid the presence of the Ku Klux Klan.
Despite facing threats and intimidation, Dorie and her colleagues persisted in their mission, including aiding figures like Fannie Lou Hamer.
Her legacy includes interactions with prominent civil rights figures like Medgar Evers, Vernon Dahmer, and Clyde Kennard.
Dorie Ladner played a vital role in the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964, a campaign aimed at registering African American voters in the state.Dorie Ladner, a prominent figure in the civil rights movement, actively participated in major protests between 1963 and 1968, such as the March on Washington and the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. She later resided in Washington, D.C., starting in 1974. Her sister, Joyce Ladner, mentioned that Dorie worked as a social worker in the ER at DC General Hospital for 28 years, using her role to support and advocate for people in crisis.
Dorie Ladner is survived by her daughter, Yodit Churnet, and a 13-year-old grandson whom she deeply cared for. Details about her memorial service are yet to be announced.
(Source: thegrio.com)
