President Joe Biden has ordered that U.S. flags be flown at half-staff until tomorrow at public buildings across the nation in honor of the former First Lady of Georgia and U.S. First Lady, Rosalynn Carter, who died this month.
Rosalynn Carter died, aged 96, on Sunday, November 19, while in hospice care at her home in Plains, Georgia. Her husband, former President Jimmy Carter, 99, has been in hospice care for several months.
Rosalynn Carter was married to the former president for 77 years, with him often relying on her for political counsel.
To commemorate her death, Biden declared that all U.S. flags would be flown at half-staff "at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions."
Biden made the declaration two days after her death, ordering flags would be run halfway down the pole from November 25, 2023, until sunset on the day of her internment.
The president has also directed the flag to be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all "United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations."
According to the National Park Service, Rosalynn Carter will be laid to rest this Wednesday at the Carter Home and Garden, part of the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.
A statement on the National Park Service's website states: "The funeral procession will travel via Buena Vista Road, N. Bond Street and U.S. Route 280.
"The public is invited to view the procession; however, the funeral service and interment ceremony will be closed to public viewing."
"Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished," former President Carter said in a statement released by The Carter Center.
"She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me."
As first lady to the 39th president in the late 1970s, Rosalynn Carter represented the administration during visits with Central and South American leaders, fundraised for displaced Cambodians, and sponsored poetry and jazz festivals at the White House.
She was also a vocal advocate for mental health, women's rights, and human rights. When she was first lady, she supported the Equal Rights Amendment, which when passed in March 1972, prohibited discrimination based on sex. She also helped to reduce the stigma around mental illness, often framing mental health care as "a basic human right" in her speeches.
After the Carters left the White House, they created The Carter Center in 1982, a nonprofit focused on human rights. She was also president of the board of directors for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, which supports those who care for loved ones with chronic illness and disabilities.
Former President Carter entered hospice care in February "after a series of short hospital stays," according to The Carter Center. The organization announced in May that Rosalynn Carter had dementia, revealing her stay in hospice care a few days before her death.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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