The iconic founder of the African American history museum in Baton Rouge was discovered dead in the trunk of a car, news that left the Louisiana community in shock.
Baton Rouge police Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said investigators were still waiting for a coroner to determine a cause of death for Sadie Roberts-Joseph after her body was found Friday afternoon, the Associated Press reports.
The details of how her body was found have not been revealed.
Roberts-Joseph, 75, was the founder and curator of the Baton Rouge African American Museum, which she started in 2001. Her annual Juneteenth festival at the museum every June 19 was also a popular event.
She also founded Community Against Drugs and Violence, a non-profit organization that created a safer environment for children in North Baton Rouge.
The NAACP Baton Rouge Branch remembered Roberts-Joseph in a Facebook post.
“We lost a Cultural Legend Yesterday! #RIP Sadie Roberts Joseph,” the group wrote. “From reviving Juneteenth, to the Culture preserved at Her Museum, she was a trendsetter and icon in this City.”
Our thoughts are with her family, friends and Baton Rouge community during this difficult time.