In today’s moment in Women's History, we will highlight Patricia Stephens Due, born on December 9, 1939, in Quincy, Florida. She passed away on February 7, 2012, in Smyrna, Georgia.
From a young age, Patricia refused to accept the color line that divided her world. At thirteen, she and her sister boldly stepped up to a “whites only” Dairy Queen counter instead of the colored window.
As a college student in Tallahassee, she helped spark one of the South’s earliest sit-ins at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960. When police unleashed tear gas, it damaged her eyesight forever, yet she chose “jail, no bail,” spending forty-nine days behind bars and writing a powerful letter from her cell that stirred the nation.
With her sister Priscilla by her side, Patricia became a steady voice for freedom across Florida and beyond, never backing down from the fight for dignity and equality. A fun fact: she wore dark glasses for the rest of her life as a quiet reminder of the price she paid and the resolve that never dimmed.
Her courage lit a path for others to follow.
Remember…Education is FREEdom of mind and never should be colorblind.
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