Civil rights leader Willie T. Barrow, known as ‘little warrior,’ dies at 90

The Rev. Willie T. Barrow, co-chairwoman of the Board of Trustees with the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, left, marches with Rep. Luis Guttierez, D-Ill., against the U.S. Naval bombing in Vieques, Puerto Rico on June 25, 2001 during a rally in downtown Chicago. Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images

The Rev. Willie T. Barrow, known for her lifetime of work in civil rights and other causes, died early Thursday at the age of 90. She had been in declining health.

Barrow helped found the organization that led to the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, which defends and works toward gains in civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields.

Known as the “Little Warrior,” she marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, D.C., and Selma, Alabama. She participated in the AIDS Memorial Quilt and stood up for LGBT people.

“Michelle and I are deeply saddened by Reverend Barrow’s passing, but we take comfort in the knowledge that our world is a far better place because she was a part of it,” President Barack Obama said in a statement.

“I was proud to count myself among the more than 100 men and women she called her ‘Godchildren,’ and worked hard to live up to her example. I still do,” he said.

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