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In November
1959, I was offered a job with the Board of County
Commissioners under the direction of Ned Skeldon who was
president of the Board. I was the first African American to
be employed there. That experience was an opportunity that
gave me knowledge and contacts with every entity under the
direction of the County Commissioners.
The
political benefits resulted in getting dozens of people
registered to vote and getting them involved in volunteering
on campaigns, which then led to job opportunities. At that
time, there were a few outstanding African-American leaders
who were working diligently for our community and
encouraging our people to vote. Most are now deceased but
must never be forgotten: Mamie Williams, Erie Howard, Harold
Fox, Nellie Gales, Cora Bates, Casey Jones, Perry Burroughs,
Bertha Irvin, Bill Copeland, Shannie Barnett and George
Davis. The latter two gentlemen worked hard in the labor
movement to guarantee jobs in the auto industry. The fight
for our political rights had just begun.
In 1972 I
went to work as an assistant clerk at the Lucas County Board
of Elections, furthering my knowledge of the election
process. In 1975, with the encouragement of a friend and
co-worker, Helen Goergen, Sandy Isenberg and I organized the
Democratic Business and Professional Women’s Club of Lucas
County under the Democratic Party chairmanship of Bill
Boyle.
The purpose
of the organization was to again encourage more women to
support female candidates, to vote and support the local,
state and national Democratic parties. The club was the
first of its kind in Lucas County, based on the diversity
and the fact that female elected officials were members of
the club. Judge Alice Resnick, the first woman from Lucas
County elected to the Ohio Supreme Court was also one of the
founding members. The club had over 200 members, had
luncheon and dinner meetings, to accommodate working women.
In 1983,
following the election of Marcy Kaptur as the first woman
from this area to be elected to the U.S. Congress, I
organized a trip to Washington, D.C. for the Democratic
women to witness Kaptur’s swearing-in ceremony and tour the
Capitol. Following the excitement of the trip, the next two
years included another such trip to Washington.
I continued
to lobby for members of the community to get jobs and was
successful. The political activity was a stimulus for others
to get involved. I have recruited many election officials in
the past who are still involved.
When
Senator John Glenn ran for president, I organized a bus trip
to Iowa for volunteers from Toledo to campaign, register
voters and talk up the candidacy of Glenn. The trip was a
fulfilling experience for the participants.
In 1988,
the previous experience with Glenn encouraged me to run as a
delegate for Rev. Jesse Jackson for president. Elected as
delegates, Mary Hollis, Gail Austin, Norma King and I
traveled to Atlanta, GA, to the Democratic convention which
was an experience of a lifetime. Jackson delivered a speech
at the convention which I am sure has gone down in history
as one of the best, based on a story of a quilt, which left
many men and women in tears. One of the elected officials
from Columbus was quoted as saying, “If Jesse Jackson were
white, he would be president.” It took 20 years for that
statement to become a reality with Barack Obama.
Over a
period of 58 years I have worked for and supported dozens of
endorsed Democratic candidates along with working with John
Irish and the late Domenic Montalto. The history of the
local Democratic Party needs a “Hall of Fame” for those
servants who, not thinking of themselves, worked hard to get
so many Democrats elected.
The
outstanding political event in our lifetime has been to
elect a black president of the United States. President
Obama has been a pioneer in the trenches wherein we have
learned even with his status, he has had to endure
discrimination. However, he and First Lady Michelle Obama
have represented us well. They have made history and made
their mark for all of us. We now must keep the momentum
going by registering to vote and making sure all of our
relatives, friends and associates do so too.
In 2016,
the presidential primary is March 15. The general election
is November 8. Vote as if your life depended on it.
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