Zephyr Wright

Zephyr Wright
Photograph of the signing of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Zephyr Wright is second from the right.
Born
Zephyr Black

1915 (1915)
Marshall, Texas, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 1988(1988-04-25) (aged 72–73)[1]
Washington D.C., U.S.[1]
Alma materWiley College
Occupation(s)Presidential personal chef, maid[2]
Known forCivil rights activism
SpouseSammy Wright[2]

Zephyr Wright (née Zephyr Black;[3] 1915 – April 25, 1988)[1] was an African-American civil rights activist and personal chef for President Lyndon Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson from 1942 until 1969.[4][5] Wright was an influence of the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because she had communicated her experiences living under Jim Crow laws to Johnson, which were later shared by Johnson with other influential lawmakers.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b c Smith, J. Y. (1988-04-27). "Burnita S. Matthews Dies". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Harrison County Historical Commission (16 February 2019). "Zephyr Wright, White House Cook and President LBJ's Conscience". Marshall News Messenger. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
  4. ^ David Shreve (2007-10-30). Lyndon B. Johnson: Towards the Great Society, February 1, 1964 - May 31, 1964. Norton. pp. 280–. ISBN 978-0-393-06286-1.
  5. ^ The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower (2015).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Miller, Adrian (2017-09-19). "Back of the White House". Southern Foodways Alliance. Retrieved 2022-02-06.