Lucia “Lucy” McBath is a mother, wife, businesswoman and activist for social justice. After a 30-year career with Delta Air Lines, her second career is focused on reform that will make our communities safer and better for every American of every background.
Lucy’s passion for public service was awakened by her family’s tragedy in 2012. She is the mother of Jordan Davis, who was shot and killed at a gas station in Jacksonville, Fla. that year by a man objecting to the music he was playing in his car. The shooter used Florida’s stand-your-ground law as his defense. He was not found guilty of murder in his first trial. In an October 2014 retrial, the shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Losing her son in such a senseless way has fueled her lifelong commitment to community activism and the importance of political engagement. Early on, McBath’s sense of public service came from an extensive family background involving civil rights. Her father was the Illinois Branch president of the NAACP for over twenty years and served on its national board as well. As a child, she traveled with her family attending marches and rallies supporting the civil rights movement and the coalitions of organizations fighting alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her mother was a registered nurse, often helping students completing coursework with tutoring and other support to further their healthcare careers.
McBath’s work has been recognized widely. She is honored to have been the recipient of the Chairman’s Award of the Georgia Democratic Party in 2017, “Mother of the Year 2016” by VH1 Television, voted as one of Refinery29’s 26 National Treasures, and an EMILY’s List Honoree. Her media appearances include Georgia Public Television, CNN, MSNBC, HLN, TV One and her son’s story has been featured in Jet, Rolling Stone, and Ebony and Essence magazines and in the documentaries “The Armor of Light” and “3 ½ Minutes: 10 Bullets.”