Atlanta

Family and friends say goodbye to Atlanta’s first Black First Lady

ATLANTA — At Ebenezer Baptist Church Monday, everyone had a story to share about a lady who touched so many hearts.

Some loved her from the very beginning.

“Mommy lived quite a life, and she accomplished everything she set out to do,” daughter Beth Hodges said.

Hundreds gathered to celebrate the remarkable life of Burnella Jackson-Ransom, affectionately known to all as Bunnie, and Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen was there.

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She was a lady who stood tall at Atlanta City Hall.

“You saw this presence. I was like — this is a wonderful thing,” longtime friend Angela Robinson said.

When Maynard Jackson became Atlanta’s first Black mayor, Bunnie became the city’s first African American First Lady.

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Over the next five decades, she followed her own path with an enormously successful career in public relations and the music business.

“She had an instinct for culture and art and politics like nobody else,” longtime friend, Channel 2′s Jocelyn Dorsey, said.

“Come on, one more time. Give God praise for her,” Reverend and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock declared.

She was remembered as a champion to so many, but especially to her children.

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“How fortunate we’ve been to be raised in this beloved community, and for the special blessing that she orchestrated. Thank you to all of you for the love and respect you showed our mommy,” Hodges said.

Bunnie Jackson-Ransom was laid to rest at South-View Cemetery in Southeast Atlanta.

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