Friends, family and longtime colleagues filled the B.B. King Museum on Monday afternoon to remember Margaret Kibbee as a woman whose quiet courage and wide compassion helped change lives from the Mississippi Delta to her native California.
Kibbee, 79, died March 22 at her home in Greenville. Her “celebration of life” service was held March 30 in the museum’s gallery space, a setting her family chose to reflect her work in the Civil Rights Movement and her decades of service to Delta families seeking justice.
“It was just fitting that we be in this place, in this museum, in this civil rights position, because she breathed this,” said her son, Justin Knighten, speaking during the service. “She cared about people. She cared about their kids. She cared about justice.”
Knighten, one of five children, said his mother had a gift for making people feel safe, especially in moments of fear or uncertainty. He remembered going to her house as a young man, needing only “a couple of encouraging words” to believe he could face whatever waited outside the door.
“There was a time when I didn’t know who I could trust,” he told mourners. “But I could go to my mama’s house, sit down with her, and after a few words from her, I felt like I could do anything.”
Born May 31, 1946, Kibbee grew up in Marin County, California, before coming South as a teenager during the summer of 1965 to work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. She later served as a paralegal with North Mississippi Rural Legal Services and, after retirement, continued working as a non-attorney Social Security representative at Crawford Law Firm, helping underserved communities gain access to legal support.
Her obituary described a life “defined by courage, compassion and purpose,” rooted in her belief that ordinary people could stand up for what was right. Photographs in the printed program traced that journey, from childhood snapshots to civil rights organizing, family gatherings and proud moments with children and grandchildren.
Kibbee married the late Lewis Knighten Sr., and together they raised a blended family of biological and stepchildren. At Monday’s service, Justin Knighten pledged that the siblings would honor their mother by looking after one another. “We’re going to take care of our sister and our brother. We love you. We always have.”
He also thanked the many friends, co-workers and movement veterans who came from across the region to pay their respects. “I appreciate everybody who showed up,” he said. “It means a lot to us as her kids. She didn’t have much, but she gave everything she had to other people.”
Kibbee’s son said memories of his mother stretch from Delta fields to California sunshine, where family trips often included what he jokingly called “mandatory” visits to see relatives. “When we’d go out there, it was beautiful,” he said. “But I always knew we had to go by my mama’s people. That’s just who she was – she stayed connected.”
Even in her final years, as her health declined, Knighten said, his mother’s strength and stubborn optimism set the tone for the family. “It was pretty tough for her,” he acknowledged, “but she kept going. She kept loving us. She kept loving other people.”
The program included reflections from friends and colleagues who knew Kibbee through her early childhood in California, her young adult years in the movement, and her later life as a caregiver, advocate and mentor. A video presentation highlighted her role in civil rights organizing and her work with Mississippi Rural Legal Services.
At the close of his remarks, Knighten told those gathered that his mother’s legacy now rests with the people she loved. “The thing that sticks with me is her kids,” he said. “We did that. We’re here. And we’re going to carry her legacy on.”
Interment followed at East Road Cemetery in Sunflower. Bush Funeral Services of Leland was in charge of arrangements.
