Topics: Cameron Boyce, News, Celebrity, US News, History
People are only just learning who Jo Ann Boyce is following her recent passing.
Jo Ann Boyce was the grandmother of Cameron Boyce, who tragically passed away aged 20 in 2019. The budding actor died from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) after having a seizure in his sleep.
Many believe that Cameron, who starred in movies like Grown Ups, Descendants, and Mirrors, was one of the most famous people in his family, it turns out his grandmother was a well-known figure too.
But Jo Ann Boyce wasn't in the film and TV industry like her grandson, she was famous for being an activist and for being part of 'The Clinton 12'.
Advert
'The Clinton 12' were a group of African-American students who were integrated into an all-white school in 1956, making them some of the first to be integrated into a state-run public school in Tennessee.
The desegregation of schools came after the passing of Brown v. Board of Education by the Supreme Court in 1954.
Jo Ann, born Jo Ann Allen, and the students faced a lot of pushback at the time. Members of the KKK turned up at the school to protest and things got so bad at one point that the National Guard was called to Clinton to protect the kids and the town, says the Tennessee State Museum.
Sadly, most of the children left the school and went elsewhere. Jo Ann was one to leave Clinton and she relocated to Los Angeles, where she went on to become a pediatric nurse.
On Wednesday (December 3), Jo Ann died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 84. In the wake of the news of her passing, many are learning that she wasn't just Cameron's grandmother but was a historic figure in her own right as well.
People have been sharing their thoughts and tributes to her online.
"She’s one of the reasons why public schools are integrated. Rest in power," one person wrote.
Someone replied to this: "Oh so being iconic just runs in the Boyce family?"
Another person pointed out about Jo Ann: "Besides being Cameron's grandmother, Jo Ann was also a member of the 'Clinton 12'.
"At just 14-year-old, she was among the first Black students to desegregate Clinton High School in Tennessee after the Brown vs. Board of Ed case. It was one of the first desegregated public schools in the south."
Paying tribute to the late 84-year-old, a different person penned: "Rest in power, Jo Ann. The Clinton 12 changed history forever. Thank you."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].
