Sadly, we have another notable death from Austin, Texas in the past week. (Jennifer Gale also died -- I did a diary about her last week.)
Amanda Roberts Jones died days after turning 110 years old. She was the daughter of an ex-slave, and recently received a bit of attention nationwide with her mail-in vote for Obama in November. What changes she must have seen in her life -- her father had been a slave, she had to pay a poll tax, but she did get to vote for Obama.
A few excerpts from the Austin American-Statesman:
http://www.statesman.com/...
Amanda Roberts Jones, who was the daughter of a man born into slavery and who lived long enough to vote for the country's first African-American president, died in her sleep about noon Thursday, two days after her 110th birthday, her family said Friday
Eloise Baker, 75, said she had taken her mother to vote for Obama in the March primary. Area election officials said Jones was probably the oldest active registered voter in Central Texas. When news of her vote spread, Jones was profiled in the American-Statesman and later on National Public Radio and ABC News. More than 200 people signed an online petition to send her to Obama's inauguration. Birthday cards from around the country arrived at her home, Baker said.
Jones had voted for more than 70 years — even when it meant she had to pick cotton to save money to pay a poll tax, her daughter said.