Juanita Abernathy

Juanita Abernathy was born Juanita Odessa Jones to farmers in Alabama. In 1952 she married Reverend Ralph Abernathy after meeting him while they were both in school. She was heavily involved in the civil rights movement helping to organize the Montgomery Bus Boycotts in 1955. In 1957 the Abernathy home in Montgomery Alabama was bombed by white supremacists while Mrs. Abernathy and her daughter were inside, both survived the attack. In 1961 she and her family moved to Atlanta and led efforts to integrate schools in the South, she also fought for programs to help children with school lunches. Mrs. Abernathy also participated in the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. Among her other jobs she taught high school business education courses, was the secretary for the Alabama chapter of the NAACP, and eventually joined the Mary Kay cosmetics company in the 1970s. In 1972 she led women on a peace march in Northern Ireland and participated in many peace missions around the world. She served on different civic organizations in Atlanta and helped in the campaign of President Barack Obama.