Evelyn Gibson Lowery was an American civil rights activist and leader who founded SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now, Inc. (W.O.M.E.N), the sister organization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Lowery was born in Memphis, Tennessee on February 16, 1925, and was the daughter of activists Rev. Dr. Harry and Evelyn Gibson who provided her with the inspiration to dedicate her life to fighting for human rights at both the national and international levels.

She married Rev. Joseph Lowery in 1950, the President Emeritus of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) who also worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1979, seeing a special need for women and families, Lowery founded SCLC/Women’s Organizational Movement for Equality Now, Inc. (W.O.M.E.N.), the sister organization of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

In 2004, Lowery was honored at the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr.