50 Over 50: Lifestyle
Maggie McGrath & Erin Spencer Sairam, Forbes
July 2025
The 280-resident town of Boykin, Alabama, is home to the legendary Gee’s Bend quilters, who have been strip quilting—for money and for an artistic way to advance civil rights—for six generations. Mary Lee Bendolph, the group’s matriarch, learned quilting from her mother, a founder of the Freedom Quilting Bee. Bendolph herself marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and participated in voting rights demonstrations while continuing to quilt. It took until the mid-1990s for her quilts to gain recognition beyond her community, and another several years before being exhibited in a museum. Today, her vibrant work is in major museums nationwide and has been featured on U.S. postage stamps. The artistry and growing profile of the Gee’s Bend quilters have recently led to collaborations with prominent brands, including Target and Chloé.