Patricia Stephens Due, 72, long-time civil rights leader whose activities spanned from Tallahassee to Miami, and across the nation, has died after a valiant, two-year fight with cancer that exemplified her life.“We are deeply sadden by the death of Mrs. Due and have lost one of the nation’s foot soldiers for social justice and civil rights movement,” said FAMU President James H. Ammons. “It was the work of Mrs. Due that inspired generations of Rattlers to stand up and fight for their beliefs. We will never forget her contributions to this city, state and nation, which spurred a national movement. She was a courageous woman and we are proud to call her a FAMUan.”
Due died two weeks shy of the 52nd anniversary of her leading role in the student sit-ins in Tallahassee, Fla. in February 1960. As a 20-year-old college student and founding member of the local chapter of the inter-racial group Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Due, along with her sister, Priscilla, and three other Florida A& M University (FAMU) students spent 49 days in jail rather than pay fines after being arrested for sitting at a Woolworth lunch-counter, launching the nation’s first "jail-in" during the civil rights movement.
The jail-in became one of the most powerful tactics used during the civil rights movement. While in jail, Due received a telegram from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stating: "Going to jail for a righteous cause is a badge of honor and a symbol of dignity. I assure you that your valiant witness is one of the glowing epics of our time and you are bringing all of America [to] the threshold of the world's bright tomorrows."
During her jailing and a subsequent national speaking tour to bring attention to discrimination in the South, in addition to King, Due was lauded by Jackie Robinson (who sent her a diary to record her experiences in jail), Mrs. Daisy Bates (of the Little Rock 9), James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, John H. Johnson, and Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, among others.
Throughout her life, she wore dark glasses because her eyes became sensitive to light after a police officer lobbed a teargas bomb in her face in 1960.
Despite all of her community activities, Due's family always remained her first priority. She lived in Quincy, Fla., with her husband. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her three children, Tananarive Due, a Spelman College professor, novelist, journalist and screenwriter in Atlanta; Johnita Patricia Due, a media lawyer and chief diversity adviser for CNN in Atlanta; and Lydia Due Greisz, an attorney in Dallas; five loving grandchildren; as well as her sister Priscilla Stephens Kruize of Miami and her brother Walter Stephens of Atlanta.
Details about Due's memorial service, which will be held in FAMU's Lee Hall Auditorium, will be forthcoming.