On the first anniversary of the passing of his late wife, Rosalynn Carter, Jimmy Carter is grieving the loss of his wife.
Since the former president, who is now 100 years old, has been receiving hospice care for more than a year and a half, he has been without Rosalynn for the most of that time. Rosalynn passed away on November 19, 2023, when she was 96 years old.
Paige Alexander, the Chief Executive Officer of The Carter Center, said with People that “he misses Mrs. Carter terribly, every day,” despite the fact that he is surrounded by family, friends, and so much affection. “Despite the fact that he is still interested in the world and engaged in it, he does not feel as though the weight of the world is on his shoulders because he has given it to The Carter Center to move forward.”
Their namesake organization was established in 1982 by the 39th President of the United States of America and the former First Lady of the United States. The organization’s mission is to promote human rights, relieve human suffering, and enhance mental health treatment. According to those who are carrying on the Carters’ legacy, the passing of Rosalynn Carter motivated them to strive even harder to achieve progress on the problems that she valued the most. The Carters’ organization is now a founder-inspired organization rather than a founder-led organization.
According to Alexander, who is 58 years old, “I think in many ways it lit a fire under us.” The work that she began has been expanded on a national as well as a worldwide scale by our organizations. We are spreading our mental health program from Liberia to other African nations, and we had a significant presence in the field of mental health at the United Nations General Assembly in September. In addition, we have built an office in Washington, District of Columbia, that focuses on mental health and caregiving.
The two individuals continued to be actively engaged with The Carter Center prior to the COVID-19 event. Alexander recalls, “They would walk the halls here holding hands, going from meeting to meeting, and turning off lights if someone left the lights on.” This is something that they would do all the time. The majority of their time was spent traveling. They were truly professional colleagues of ours, and they spent one week of every month here at The Carter Center. They had an apartment here, and their offices were here. They were also here.
In spite of the fact that many who work at The Carter Center miss seeing Rosalynn in the hallways, they take solace in the fact that her efforts are being recognized and celebrated all around the globe.
“I believe that first ladies are frequently overlooked, and as a result, we were truly comforted by the fact that she was recognized as much as she was for all of the work that she has done in the field of mental health and caregiving,” said the CEO of The Carter Center.
“People have suddenly realized that she was very much her own person, and it has been a moment of genuine gratitude for us that people saw her legacy as something that ought to be celebrated,” said the family.
Alexander, who is looking forward to the future of The Carter Center, communicates to PEOPLE that it is of the highest significance to carry on Rosalynn’s legacy.
“I think the people who knew and worked with Mrs. Carter feel that they’ve internalized that and the people who didn’t have that chance to work with her recognize they’re inheriting a legacy that is so incredibly powerful,” she says.
“Going forward, I see us using the 21st-century tools that we have with our Rosalynn Carter Journalist Fellowship program to make sure that we are elevating the voices of social media influencers and journalists, and finding the space so that we can all go out and have critical conversations that are going to change the trajectory of how mental health is treated across the United States,” Alexander says. “It is my hope that we will be able to do this.” In light of this, I believe that every single one of us is working to improve the work that Mrs. Carter began, and we are looking forward to carrying it on.
Alexander had no trouble remembering Rosalynn on the anniversary of her passing since she was so dear to him.
“She was a really unselfish, deliberate, and smart person who listened to others and was highly focused on providing service. It was clear to her what needed to be done, and she went ahead and did it,” she adds. Mrs. Carter said, “I would like to think that people understood that I took advantage of the opportunities I was given and I did the best that I could.” This was in response to the question of what she wanted to be remembered for.