BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge civil rights icon Rev. Betty Claiborne passed away Sunday. Mayor Sharon Weston Broome announced on Twitter Sunday afternoon.

We lost a great icon in our community yesterday! Betty Claiborne, who was arrested when she tried to integrate the City Park pool in 1963, was a shining example of inspiration and passion for all of us. Claiborne’s sacrifice and fight for civil rights is a testament of purpose. pic.twitter.com/03jlrthAVs

— Sharon Weston Broome (@MayorBroome) January 12, 2020

In 1963, Claiborne bravely decided to take a splash in a whites-only public Baton Rouge swimming pool. Claiborne was arrested for this incident, but was pardoned in 2005. 

Inspired by the work of Martin Luther King Jr. she saw the separation between races and took a stand much like Rosa Park did. 

Claiborne was not only a leader but a beacon of light for the community.

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Click HERE to watch a feature report on Claiborne from the WBRZ archive recorded in 2013.