California nonprofit leaders recall President Jimmy Carter’s legacy

By Suzanne Potter, Producer, Public News Service

Former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away on Sunday at 100 years of age, had a huge effect on the Golden State far beyond his presidency, according to California nonprofit leaders.

Carter and his wife Rosalynn volunteered for four decades with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build more than 200 homes in California and more than 4,000 nationwide.

Erin Rank, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, said his selfless example has inspired thousands of people over the years.

“We hear from the homeowners who talk about the impact that had on the trajectory of their life,” Rank explained. “Both to have a stable place to live but also to have a president who was humble enough to show up and get his hands dirty and really build.”

Rank noted she will join a number of families helped by the Carters to pay homage in Washington, D.C., next week when he lies in state at the Capitol Rotunda. Carter’s influence is still widely felt, as he fought to desegregate schools and founded the Department of Education. He also created the cabinet-level Department of Energy and was the first to put solar panels on the White House.

Jimmy Carter was also a leader in civil rights.

Jorge Reyes Salinas, communications director for Equality California, said Carter was the first chief executive to invite LGBTQ+ people to the White House.

“Even stating that Jesus would be accepting of same-sex marriage, which — as a Christian at that time — it was a huge message for the American people to have those conversations,” Salinas recounted.

Carter was also a major opposition figure condemning the failed Briggs initiative in 1978, a proposition on the California ballot that would have banned LGBTQ+ people from teaching in public schools.

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