World

Jo Ann Boyce, Clinton 12 member and civil rights trailblazer, dies at 84

December 6, 2025

Jo Ann Boyce, a significant figure in the civil rights movement and a member of the Clinton 12, has passed away at the age of 84. She was one of the first African American students to integrate a public school in Tennessee, facing hostility from segregationists and KKK mobs during that pivotal time in history.

African American students JoAnn Allen (later Boyce) (left) & Minnie Ann Dickey (later Jones) walk down the steps outside the recently desegregated Clinton High School, Clinton, Tennessee, early September, 1956. The students were among the so-called Clinton 12, the first group of African-American students to attend the first desegregated high school in the southern US. (Photo by Don Cravens/Getty Images)

Credit: (Don Cravens / Getty Images)

Key Highlights

Jo Ann Boyce was a member of the Clinton 12, a group of students who integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee.
She faced violent opposition from KKK members and segregationists during the integration process.
Boyce later moved to Los Angeles and worked as a pediatric nurse.
She passed away at the age of 84.

Sources

Jo Ann Boyce, Clinton 12 member and civil rights trailblazer, dies at 84

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Jo Ann Boyce, Clinton 12 member and civil rights trailblazer, dies at 84

Key Highlights

Sources

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