# Unita Blackwell

_American civil rights activist (1933–2019)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/unita-blackwell
Last updated: 2026-11-07

> Unita Zelma Blackwell was an American civil rights activist who was the first African-American woman to be elected mayor in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Blackwell was a project director for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and helped organize voter drives for African Americans across Mississippi. She was also a leader of the US–China Peoples Friendship Association, a group dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between the United States and China. She also served as an advisor to six US presidents: Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 18 March 1933 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Lula ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P19))
- **Died:** 13 May 2019 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P570))
- **Place of death:** Biloxi ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P20))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; political activist; human rights defender; author ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P106))
- **Political party:** Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (since 1964); Democratic Party ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P102))
- **Education:** University of Massachusetts Amherst ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P69))
- **Positions held:** mayor (1976–2001); adviser ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P39))
- **Awards:** MacArthur Fellows Program ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166#P166))

## Questions

**When was Unita Blackwell born?**  
Unita Blackwell was born on 18 March 1933 in Lula.

**What positions has Unita Blackwell held?**  
Positions held by Unita Blackwell include: mayor (1976–2001); adviser.

**Where did Unita Blackwell study?**  
Unita Blackwell was educated at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Unita Blackwell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unita_Blackwell) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q7887166](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887166) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Unita Blackwell.jpg by William Patrick Butler (CC BY 2.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unita_Blackwell.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Unita Blackwell, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Unita Blackwell.jpg — William Patrick Butler, CC BY 2.0.

## Cite this page

"Unita Blackwell". DigiNepal. Last updated 7 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/unita-blackwell. Retrieved 7 November 2026.