ATLANTA — Atlanta city councilmembers are mourning the loss of Carolyn Long Banks, the first Black woman to serve on the Atlanta City Council.
Banks is a fourth generation Atlantan. She graduated from McNeil Turner High School, Clark College and Georgia State University.
Early in her activism career, Banks was a part of organizing the Atlanta Student Movement in the 1960s where she also participated in the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights.
Banks' activism career was elevated when she had the opportunity to collaborate with Martin Luther King Jr. and the human rights committee on a manifesto outlining problems faced by the Black community.
She also engaged in the Atlanta community as a lifetime member of the NAACP, through Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated as well as St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church.
“Our community has lost a true trailblazer. Carolyn Long Banks will forever be known as a catalyst for extraordinary change in our city and across the nation. This is a somber moment for us all and I send my deepest condolences to her family,” Atlanta City Council member Michael Bond said. "Throughout her life, she had an unwavering commitment toward social and economic justice. Her legacy with the Atlanta Student Movement and the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights will always serve as an inspiration. As the first Black woman to serve on our august body, she left an indelible mark on the community as an advocate for equality and opportunity."
Before she would become the first Black woman to be integrated into Atlanta's City Council, Banks became the first Black woman to take on a management position at Rich's after she was invited to integrate the Magnolia Room in 1962.
Banks became the first Black woman on Atlanta's City Council in 1980 and served until 1997.
“My heartfelt condolences are with the family of Carolyn Long Banks. She was a remarkable woman who had a truly astounding impact on our community. As we mourn her passing, let us remember her legacy as a civil rights hero and as the first Black woman to serve on the City Council,” Atlanta City Councilmember Andrea Boone said. "She broke barriers and was a role model for leadership and social change. Let us keep her family in our prayers as we all seek comfort and peace during this time of mourning."
Aside from being an Atlanta trailblazer, Banks was also involved in activism on a national level. Former President Jimmy Carter appointed Banks to the Commission on Women. Banks also joined former President Bill Clinton at the White House when he signed the Family Medical Leave Act.
According to Atlanta City Councilmembers, Banks was surrounded by family at the time of her passing.
"Her soul will continue to shine brightly in the divine presence of God and her impact will live on in the hearts and minds of all those who were fortunate enough to know her. She was a true public servant, a warrior woman like the Greek goddess Minerva, and now like that goddess, she has taken her place amongst the stars,” Bond said.