Why were the Carter family wearing Hawaiian leis at the funeral?
At Wednesday’s funeral for Rosalynn Carter, many viewers noticed that Carter family members were wearing leis, garlands that are common in Hawaii and much of Polynesia.
It was a nod to the Carter family’s often-forgotten historical connections to Hawaii, where former President Jimmy Carter was stationed for part of his time in the Navy. Chip Carter, one of Rosalynn and Jimmy’s four children, was born in Honolulu. While living in Hawaii, Rosalynn Carter learned hula dancing and even once won a hula dancing contest.
According to the Carter Center, close friends of the Carters who live in Hawaii offered to have leis shipped to Georgia for the family.
”The family was happy to receive them and eager to wear them,” said Matthew De Galen, the Carter Center’s spokesman. “Given Pastor Tony Lowden’s description of the funeral as a celebration of Mrs. Carter’s life, the festive flowers seemed quite appropriate.”
More about Rosalynn Carter
Special section to published by the AJC
- Rosalynn Carter’s journey comes to an end in her beloved Plains
- Timeline: Former first lady Rosalynn Carter over the decades
- Photos: Rosalynn Carter through the years
- Funeral programs: Read the order of service from Atlanta and Plains
- Stories and remembrance: Friends, acquaintances share stories of Rosalynn Carter
- Why the Carter family wore flower leis to the funeral
- READ: Rosalynn and Jimmy: A life together, holding hands, to the end
- The family of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter
- On grief: Losing a life partner and the shattering of a shared identity
About the Author
Ernie Suggs is an enterprise reporter covering race and culture for the AJC since 1997. A 1990 graduate of N.C. Central University and a 2009 Harvard University Nieman Fellow, he is also the former vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists. His obsession with Prince, Spike Lee movies, Hamilton and the New York Yankees is odd.
