January 12, 2020 — BATON ROUGE, LA — Baton Rouge lost a civil rights icon this weekend with the death of Rev. Betty Claiborne. She was arrested in 1963 while attempting to integrate City Park pool.

“Rev. Betty Claiborne was a shining example of inspiration and passion for all of us. Her sacrifice and fight for civil rights is a testament of living on purpose,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.

After her arrest, Claiborne and her sister Pearl George took their case to the Supreme Court, which ruled the segregation of recreational facilities was unconstitutional. Rev. Claiborne received a pardon from the late Governor Kathleen Blanco in 2005.