Black Leaders Pay Tribute To Former President Jimmy Carter

Prominent Black leaders paid tribute to former U.S. President Jimmy Carter after the news of his passing on Sunday. Carter was 100 years old.

According to his son, Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia. He is the longest-lived former President in our nation’s history. Carter, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, humanitarian, and 39th President of the United States, is survived by his four children and several grandchildren. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, passed away at the couple’s home in November 2023 at the age of 96.

Black leaders from all over the country took to the web to express their condolences to the Carter family and pay respects to what many called a great leader.

In a written statement on Medium, former President Barack Obama praised Carter for his “integrity, respect, and compassion.”

President Carter taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from this remarkable man. https://t.co/dZHL0Nu0Tj

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 29, 2024

“Whenever I had a chance to spend time with President Carter, it was clear that he didn’t just profess these values. He embodied them,” Obama wrote. “He embodied them. And in doing so, he taught all of us what it means to live a life of grace, dignity, justice, and service. In his Nobel acceptance speech, President Carter said, ‘God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace.’ He made that choice again and again over the course of his 100 years, and the world is better for it.”

NAACP President Derrick Johnson also paid respects to the former president, saying Carter “embodied true leadership.”

Jimmy Carter not only championed civil rights as POTUS — where he set a record for Black appointments, including the first Black woman in a cabinet — but he devoted his life to human rights.

He served all Americans and embodied true leadership. #RestInPower, Mr. President.

— Derrick Johnson (@DerrickNAACP) December 30, 2024

“Jimmy Carter not only championed civil rights as POTUS — where he set a record for Black appointments, including the first Black woman in a cabinet — but he devoted his life to human rights,” Johnson wrote. He served all Americans and embodied true leadership. #RestInPower, Mr. President.”

Georgia NAACP wrote, “President Carter’s commitment to civil rights, democracy, and the eradication of poverty left an indelible mark not only on Georgia but on the world. His steadfast belief in the dignity of every human being continues to inspire us to work toward the betterment of society for all.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker reminisced about the time he voted for Carter in a grade school mock election.

When I was in grade school, our teacher had a mock election in our class and I was so proud to vote for Jimmy Carter. He embodied so many of the qualities I hold dear – service, leadership, discipline, grace, kindness, and living your faith more than speaking your faith. But… pic.twitter.com/6cCujeY5wT

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) December 29, 2024

“When I was in grade school, our teacher had a mock election in our class and I was so proud to vote for Jimmy Carter. He embodied so many of the qualities I hold dear – service, leadership, discipline, grace, kindness, and living your faith more than speaking your faith. But perhaps the value he epitomized most to me was radical love, Booker wrote.

LDF President and Director-Counsel Janai Nelson also paid respects to the late Jimmy Carter in a press release from the organization.

LDF deeply mourns the loss of President Jimmy Carter. A champion of racial justice and human rights, his powerful legacy demands that we reflect on what we want for America’s tomorrow and for presidential leadership. https://t.co/4u1K0HSzlG pic.twitter.com/u9usN17fmF

— Legal Defense Fund (@NAACP_LDF) December 30, 2024

“We deeply mourn the loss of President Jimmy Carter, an ardent torchbearer of human and civil rights whose steadfast commitment and advocacy to ensure equal opportunity for all transformed the nation. We extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and hold them in our thoughts and prayers as they navigate this profound loss,” Nelson wrote. “Mr. Carter boldly broke the mold and disrupted the status quo with his principled leadership, acting courageously and consistently to advance a powerful humanitarian agenda.”

Georgia’s Stacey Abrams also had very kind words for the former president.

President Jimmy Carter lived a life of courage, fortitude, kindness and grace. He was a giant who never saw anyone as smaller than himself. Whether at a Boys & Girls Club banquet or when he sponsored a medical clinic for the uninsured in his corner of rural Georgia, he lived… pic.twitter.com/bm6a66cw2Q

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) December 29, 2024

“President Jimmy Carter lived a life of courage, fortitude, kindness and grace. He was a giant who never saw anyone as smaller than himself. Whether at a Boys & Girls Club banquet or when he sponsored a medical clinic for the uninsured in his corner of rural Georgia, he lived James 2:17 each day,” Abrams wrote. “Jimmy Carter built homes, saved lives and tended to souls. God bless President Carter, may the family he and Mrs. Carter raised know only comfort in these days of grief.”

Jimmy Carter became the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 after beating Republican Incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election. After his presidency, Carter went on to become an active humanitarian. He worked with Habitat for Humanity in communities throughout Georgia and globally for nearly 40 years.

SEE ALSO:

Jimmy Carter, Former U.S. President And Nobel Laureate Humanitarian, Dies At 100

Jimmy Carter’s Underappreciated Footprint In Africa