House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert issued the following statement:

“Our Commonwealth has lost a devoted pubic servant, and we in the House of Delegates have lost a good friend. From her earliest days, Mamye BaCote fought for her constituents like no one else. She stood tall by sitting down and demanding equal rights as one of the Richmond 34, helping to bring an end to the monstrously unjust segregation of Jim Crow.

“And yet this fierce advocate was best known among her colleagues as one of the warmest, kindest people ever to walk these halls. While we often disagreed, she was never disagreeable. Her life made Virginia, and our nation, all the better, and all of our lives are darker with her passing. Our prayers are with her family and her community.”