Jackson Free Press

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Blonda Mack's age. We apologize for the error.

Blonda Marie Chess Mack, former chairwoman of the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee and president-elect of the Mississippi Federation of Democratic Women, died Aug. 11 from an aneurysm. She was 62.

A lifelong resident of Jackson's Washington Addition neighborhood, Mack worked to organize and help women run for office.

"(Blonda) would get out into the community and get people registered to vote," said Jacqueline Amos Norris, a friend of Mack and fellow member of the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee. "She was a huge advocate of voting. She'd throw a fit if you didn't. She would call her neighbors on Election Day and make sure everyone she knew got to the polls. The Washington Addition depended on her. They trusted her judgment on politics."

Mack attended Jim Hill High School in Jackson and went on to Jackson State University. While attending JSU, Mack witnessed the injustices in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era and became an activist, especially for women's rights.

"She'd been in politics so long, she became good at catching things before they went the wrong way," Norris said. "She was big on education and teaching people about voting. She would kick you into gear. She was a woman true to her word and true to her party, a die-hard Democrat who loved Jackson State, and a Jacksonian all the way. She will be missed."

Mack is survived by two daughters, Monique and Isis; a granddaughter, Jasmine; and a grandson, Jordan.