Social Reformer. Civil rights leader and political activist. In 1963 she filed suit in federal court against Virginia Governor Albertis S. Harrison and Norfolk city officials, charging that Virginia laws requiring a poll tax to register to vote were unconstitutional and an engine of racial discrimination. Her suit and others would eventually make their way to the United States Supreme Court, which in 1966 ruled that the poll tax was, indeed, unconstitutional. She conducted extensive voter registration campaigns in Norfolk and ran for Norfolk's city council three times, losing each time.
Social Reformer. Civil rights leader and political activist. In 1963 she filed suit in federal court against Virginia Governor Albertis S. Harrison and Norfolk city officials, charging that Virginia laws requiring a poll tax to register to vote were unconstitutional and an engine of racial discrimination. Her suit and others would eventually make their way to the United States Supreme Court, which in 1966 ruled that the poll tax was, indeed, unconstitutional. She conducted extensive voter registration campaigns in Norfolk and ran for Norfolk's city council three times, losing each time.
Bio by: Garver Graver
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