Gainesville civil rights activist Rosa B. Williams, known affectionately as “Miss Rosa,” died Feb. 12 at age 92. She was a local pioneer for the Black community, and those who knew her remember her as a catalyst for change who touched countless lives in Gainesville.
Born in 1933, Williams’ civil rights activism was not a choice, but a necessity.
“Black women have had to be fierce women from day one,” said Vivian Filer, the 88-year-old founder and chair of the Cotton Club Museum and Cultural Center…