Jo Ann Allen Boyce, a groundbreaking civil rights activist and grandmother of late Disney Channel star Cameron Boyce, died on December 3 at her home in California after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 84.

Her death was first reported by the Los Angeles Times and confirmed by the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton, Tennessee — the site of sculptures honoring Boyce and her fellow trailblazers known as the “Clinton 12.”

Boyce was just 14 years old in 1956 when she and 11 other Black students integrated Clinton High School in Tennessee, becoming the first group of African American students to integrate a public high school in the South following Brown v. Board of Education. Their courage made national headlines and forced federal intervention when riots broke out.

In a statement, the Green McAdoo Center remembered Boyce as a generous, humble, and magnetic storyteller who spent her later years traveling the country educating students about her experience.

“We’ve lost such a caring and humble soul,” the center wrote on Facebook.
“Jo Ann inspired everyone she met… She was quick to offer love, warmth, and comfort to anyone who needed it.”

A Family Marked by Both Legacy and Loss

Boyce’s passing comes six years after the tragic death of her grandson Cameron Boyce, who died in July 2019 at age 20 after suffering a seizure due to epilepsy. His shocking death prompted an outpouring of grief from Hollywood and his fans around the world.

At the time, the Boyce family released a statement calling Cameron “one of the brightest lights” whose compassion and kindness would live on.

Jo Ann spoke movingly about her grandson in the days after his passing:

“His giving nature, his loving nature — that’s his legacy,” she said in an interview with WATE in Tennessee.
“For him to feel like he was stepping on my shoulders to make the world a better place… that was an incredible experience.”

She remembered him not as a Disney star, but as a radiant soul:

“He is a star, but he’s like a different kind of star — a shining star in the sky.”

A Trailblazer to the End

Boyce’s later life was devoted to keeping the history of the Clinton 12 alive. Sculptures of her and her classmates stand permanently at the Green McAdoo Cultural Center, a testament to their historic courage.

Her passing leaves a profound void in both the civil rights community and the Boyce family, who have endured extraordinary grief but remained committed to public service and advocacy.

The Green McAdoo Center concluded its tribute with a message reflecting the impact Boyce had across generations:

“Today is a tough one for all of us. We send our love and care to the Boyce family.”