Kansas Citian June Davis – wife, mother of two, and grandmother of four – epitomizes the character and quiet, often overlooked accomplishment that is celebrated in Stephana Colbert’s book Ordinary Extraordinary African American Women: The Elders. A graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Davis became active in the civil rights movement and was one of the first Freedom Riders of the early ’60s.
 
She joins Davis in a discussion of her book, released earlier this year. It spotlights 10 African-American women, all now over 70, who were backbones of their respective communities as mothers, teachers, artists, business women, trailblazers, activists, wives, friends, and confidants. They overcame racism, glass ceilings, and other challenges to achieve and inspire.
 
Colbert, an attorney and writer, is a native of Oklahoma.