Section 1 Findings
Congress finds the following:
Carrie Beatrice “Mudear” Sager was born on September 5, 1913 in Autauga County, Alabama to the late Mr. James Hardy and Mrs. Laura Hardy.
She was a foot soldier who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama in 1963. Ms. Sager was dedicated to fighting for racial and social justice, she risked her own life countless times being a voice for others. Her commitment is demonstrated through her years of bravery and activism.
Ms. Sager was known for organizing the well-known Children’s March of May 2, 1963 led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This protest led to hundreds of students being arrested and taken to jail in paddy wagons and school buses.
She was a victim of police brutality and experienced the brute force of hoses and dogs as law enforcement used them as weapons against her and peaceful protestors during the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Birmingham Campaign.
She was a fearless woman who stood up to the KKK by picketing and boycotting white businesses in Bessemer and Birmingham Alabama, demanding equal treatment of Black people across this nation.
She demonstrated heroism as she marched the infamous Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, March 7th, 1965. This was a day in which police attacked Civil Rights activists with tear gas, billy clubs, and horses as demonstrators were headed to the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama.
Ms. Sager was a woman of God and an active member of Starlight Missionary Baptist Church, where she was named “Mother of the Church”.
Carrie Beatrice “Mudear” Sager passed away November 20, 2014 at the age of 101. She will be remembered for her tenacity and unwavering dedication to fighting for human rights and ensuring equality and peace across this nation.
She was loved and cherished by many and her legacy will live on through her family. She left this earth with five children: Sam Sager, Jr., Will Sager, Lurlean Sager Burnette, Florabell Sager McQueen, and Mary Sager Davis. Mudear’s ten grandchildren are as follows: Cora Jean Douglass, Martha Jean McQueen, Will Sager Jr., Valerie Sager Seals, Veronica Sager Seals, Vernon T. Sager Sr., Vayonna L. Sager, Loretta Lusane Philips, Clarence Lusane, and Tanya Davis McCullough.