Rosalynn Carter, former first lady of the United States, died on November 19th, 2023, at 96 years old. She was not only the former first lady of the United States, but she was also a great advocate for mental health and was determined to eliminate any stigma against those who suffer from mental health issues.

Carter was a part of many honored groups, such as the Governors Commission to Improve Services to the Mentally and Emotionally Handicapped, the President’s Commission on Mental Health, and the Carter Center. She was a founder of the Carter Center, which strives to improve lives. The foundation not only focuses on mental health, but health overall.

She then brought together medical professionals that specialize in the mental health area, which eventually  became the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy. These individuals regularly discussed key issues regarding mental health, finances, and illnesses in children and adults.

In 1996, Carter established the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, which provides journalists resources and encouragement for helping the rest of the world realize how severe mental health stigma is. Individuals from all over the world came to join this fellowship, and it has been doing exceptionally well ever since.

Although mental health can sometimes be overlooked in the writing world and the real world, journalists have the power to make an incredible difference in the way others see significant topics like this. Rosalynn Carter once said: “Informed journalists can have a significant impact on public understanding of mental health issues as they shape debate and trends with the words and pictures they convey” (Cartercenter.org).