Laura Mae Dixie

Laura Mae Dixie, also known as the Mother of the Movement, was an organizer of the Tallahassee Bus Boycott. According to Paul Ortiz, of Facing South: A Voice for the Changing South, “Dixie served as vice president of the Leon County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and was the founding president of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2847.” During the 1956 Tallahassee Bus Boycott, “Dixie helped raise funds for carpools, provided transportation for people who needed rides to work, and exhorted her community to stay strong in spirit.”