Margaret Burr Leonard | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1942-01-05)January 5, 1942 |
| Died | November 14, 2022(2022-11-14) (aged 80) |
| Education | Sophie Newcomb College |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Known for | Freedom Rider |
Margaret Burr Leonard (January 5, 1942 – November 14, 2022) was an American civil rights activist and journalist. She participated inFreedom Rides from Alabama to Mississippi, being noted as the first Southern white student to participate. She later worked as a reporter and editor for Florida newspapers.
Leonard was born on January 5, 1942.[1] Both her parents were newspaper reporters, with her mother being a proponent ofracial integration.[2] Leonard's mother was the first white woman to join theNAACP in Macon, Georgia.[3] As a teenager, Leonard met bothMartin Luther King Jr. andJohn Lewis.[3]
While studying atSophie Newcomb College in 1960, Leonard joined theCongress of Racial Equality (CORE).[4] Through CORE, she began participating in protests and sit-ins, which included receiving training on "what to do when they try to kill you".[5] Leonard was aFreedom Rider and rode bus routes between Southern cities to protestsegregation laws.[6] She was the first Southern white student to participate, causing authorities to worry "other white Southern dissidents would follow her lead".[7] She was arrested in Jackson, Mississippi and spent time inParchman Prison.[3] She also spent time in Hinds County jail.[2]
Leonard graduated fromSophie Newcomb College in 1963.[1]
After graduation, Leonard worked as a writer for theU.S. Commission on Civil Rights.[8] She went on to report for theMiami Herald andSt. Petersburg Times in the 1970s and theTallahassee Democrat in the 1980s. She worked as the editor for theFlorida State Times, retiring in 2003.[1]
Leonard cited both her time as a Freedom Rider and being incarcerated as inspiring her later journalist work.[8] She was honored byTulane University as a Outstanding Alumna of 2013 for her efforts to challenge racial segregation.[9]
