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Rosalynn Carter, the United States First Lady from 1977 to 1981, passed away on Nov. 19 at the age of 96. As a vocal first lady, her lasting impact was marked by her efforts to diminish the stigma associated with mental illnesses.
Straight Arrow News contributor Dr. Rashad Richey reflects on the legacy of the former first lady, contending that any conservative politician embracing Carter’s values of tolerance and compassion would likely face challenges at the polls.
You know, recently, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of former President Jimmy Carter passed away. And I was struck by how much we’ve changed in our political leadership class within a very short amount of time.
Rosalynn Carter wanted to make the world a better place, not just for herself, but also for those who were, well, let’s say, “the least of these,” as it says in Scripture. She was a mental health advocate and activist. Because of her life and legacy and what she did at the White House, she literally transformed federal laws as relates to mental health in the United States of America.
She was the first first lady to establish an actual office, have a staff, as she worked on behalf of you. We could say very similar things about former President Jimmy Carter. They wanted to do it right. And we can agree and disagree, as relates to policy and execution of the policy, but we knew the heart of the individual, or at least we believed, we understood where they were coming from, even if at times, we disagreed. Rosalynn Carter represented the best among us at 96 years of age.
