Rosalynn Carter leaves legacy of mental health advocacy
Former first lady Rosalynn Carter is being remembered as an advocate and champion for people suffering from mental illness.
LEARN MOREPosted: 6:22 p.m. EST Nov 23, 2023
President Joe Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, will travel to Georgia next week to pay their respects to Rosalynn Carter.
On Wednesday, the White House confirmed that the president and first lady, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff, will attend a tribute ceremony in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Rosalynn Carter will be honored in public events starting Monday morning in Sumter County, Georgia, with a family motorcade. The Tuesday ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m. and end around 2:30 p.m. local time, according to the Carter Center.
The former first lady was the wife of Jimmy Carter, who served as the 39th president. She died Sunday, just days after entering hospice care. She was 96 years old.
Biden ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff starting Saturday through Rosalynn Carter's burial in her hometown of Plains, Georgia, on Wednesday.
"Throughout her life as First Lady of Georgia and First Lady of the United States, Rosalynn Carter exemplified hope, warmth, and a steadfast commitment to doing all she could to address many of our society’s greatest needs. She was a champion for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls; an advocate for mental health and wellness for all; and a supporter of the often unseen and uncompensated caregivers of our children, aging loved ones, and people with disabilities," President Biden said in the proclamation.
The funeral service will be at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains and followed by the former first lady's private interment at the Carters' residence.
