FARAI CHIDEYA, host: Congresswoman Julia Carson died on Saturday after fighting lung cancer. She was 69 years old. In 1996, Carson became the first African-American and the first woman to represent Indianapolis in Congress. The Indiana Democrat advocated for women, children and the homeless. She was also fearlessly outspoken against the Iraq war. Carson spoke plainly about the hard road that she travelled to success. Here she is in a 1996 interview with NPR's Daniel Zwerdling.</s>Representative JULIA CARSON (Democrat, Indianapolis): I'm the kind of individual that politicians talked negatively about. I was born to a teenage mother out of wedlock when she had just turned 16 years of age. My mother dropped out of school when she was in the second grade. And for someone like me to be able to walk life's journey into the halls of the United States Congress as an elected member of that body is most overwhelming.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: One of Carson's shining moments came eight years ago. She successfully pushed for the legislation granting Rosa Parks the Congressional Gold Medal. In 2004, the congresswoman began pulling back from the public eye. She suffered from high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes. This weekend, she died at her home in Indianapolis. Arrangements are being made to have Carson's body lie in state at the Rotunda in the Indiana State House.</s>FARAI CHIDEYA, host: You're listening to NEWS & NOTES from NPR News.
News & Notes pays tribute to Rep. Julia Carson, the first African American and first woman to represent Indianapolis in Congress. She died Saturday at the age of 69.