Rep. Doreen Carter honors 10 women to celebrate Women’s Equality Day

Front, L-R: Rita Samuels and Barbara Lester. Back, L-R: Cynthia Welch, Helen Butler, Meredith Lilly, Teresa Hardy, Rep. Doreen Carter, Leona Perry, Elaine Davis Nickens, Debbie Hillman and Maxine Daniels. Not pictured: Beatrice Williams and Rhonda Briggins-Ridly.

State Rep. Doreen Carter honored 10 women in recognition of Women’s Equality Day and the 97th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

Nearly 100 women attended the awards breakfast, which was held on Aug. 26 at the Lou Walker Center in House District 92 and co-hosted by Bettye Davis, director of the center.

“I was overjoyed with the turnout,” said Carter. “We honored women who have worked in the voter education and Civil Rights Movement. These are all trailblazers who have made a difference in protecting voting rights and ensuring that voters are educated.”

Those honored included:

Rita Samuels, civil rights activist

Barbara Lester, former Lithonia City Councilwoman

Rita Samuels, civil rights activist

Cynthia Welch, Rockdale County’s Supervisor of Elections

Maxine Daniels, DeKalb County’s Supervisor of Elections

Helen Butler, executive director of the People’s Agenda

Meredith Lilly, attorney and political strategist

Teresa Hardy, president of the DeKalb NAACP

Leona Perry, member of DeKalb Board of Elections and community activist

Elaine Davis Nickens, political strategist, executive director of Angie’s House

Debbie Hillman, community organizer

Beatrice Williams, political action chair, St. Phillips AME Church in Atlanta

Rhonda Briggins-Ridly, political strategist, MARTA executive

At the breakfast, Carter introduced “Motivate 1 Million,” a campaign she founded in 2015 to increase voter turnout in mid-term elections. Helen Butler, executive director of the People’s Agenda, introduced Rose PAC, a political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of women in elected offices.

“The two organizations marry each other,” Carter said. “We must have the votes, if we are going to impact policy in Georgia. Black women are the largest voting block in our state. We know they have the power to impact legislation and elections.”