Jezebel: ann nixon cooper

Happy Birthday, Ann Nixon Cooper!

Dodai — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:20:00 EST

Today, Ann Nixon Cooper, whom we mentioned before Barack Obama spoke of her in his victory speech, turned 107 years old.

Cooper, who voted early, and remembers a time not long ago when she was barred from voting because of her race, famously said: "I ain’t got time to die, because I’ve got to see a black president." According to the New York Times, she will not be going to the inauguration, however:

“I’m not interested in getting into anything that big,” she said Thursday in a telephone interview from her home in Atlanta. “I won’t be trying to get into that crowd.”
Instead, she plans to watch the ceremonies on her television, which most days is tuned to her favorite show, “The Price Is Right.”

Ms. Cooper, who who has had several heart attacks and a broken hip but can get around her house okay, plans to have roast turkey today for her birthday, which she will celebrate with about 20 relatives and friends.

For One Special Voter, Two Special Days [NY Times]

Earlier: Ann Nixon Cooper

As you may recall, in Obama's acceptance...

Margaret — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:20:00 EST

As you may recall, in Obama's acceptance speech he told the incredible story of Ann Nixon Cooper. The 106-year-old got a tip from the Obama campaign and stayed up on Tuesday night to see her name mentioned by the President Elect. Cooper is a former Atlanta socialite who co-founded a Girls Club for African-American youth and taught community residents to read in a tutoring program at her church, where Martin Luther King Jr. was a pastor. She describes Obama's win as a "victory of faith over fear" and said she is relieved that things have changed so much in the past century. "After a while, we will all be one," she said. "That's what I look forward to." [AP, CNN]

Ann Nixon Cooper, 106 years old, remembers...

Dodai — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:20:00 EDT

Ann Nixon Cooper, 106 years old, remembers a time not long ago when she was barred from voting because of her race. This year, Cooper voted early and hopes Barack Obama will be elected as the nation's first black president. "I ain't got time to die," she says. In the meantime, she watches The Price Is Right and Oprah. She doesn't know the secret to longevity, but says, "Being cheerful had a lot to do with it. I've always been a happy person, a giggling person — a wide-mouthed person!" [CNN]