Sallye Mathis

Mathis was born in Jacksonville, Florida to parents Sallie Garrett (née Adams) and Henry Pickens Brooks.{{cite book |title=Who's Who of American Women |date=1973 |publisher=Marquis Who's Who |isbn=978-0-8379-0408-5 |page=617 |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofamerica0000unse_o9a8/page/616/mode/2up |access-date=4 February 2022}} She grew up in the area, attending local schools. In 1930, she graduated from the Stanton Institute, a school in Jacksonville.{{cite book |title=Southern Black women in the modern civil rights movement |date=2013 |publisher=Texas A & M University Press |isbn=978-1-60344-999-1 |page=78 |url=https://archive.org/details/southernblackwom0000unse/page/78/mode/2up |access-date=3 February 2022}} She later attended Benedict College in South Carolina, and Bethune-Cookman College in Florida. In 1945, she graduated from Tuskegee Institute with a Bachelor of Science in education. In 1955, she graduated from Florida A & M University with a master's degree in secondary education.{{cite book |last1=Rywell |first1=Martin |last2=Wesley |first2=Charles H. (Charles Harris) |title=Afro-American encyclopedia |date=1974 |publisher=Educational Book Publishers |page=1607 |url=https://archive.org/details/afroamericanency06rywe/page/1606/mode/2up |access-date=3 February 2022}}

She was a teacher in the Duval County School System, including at Stanton Junior High School,{{cite magazine |title=Jacksonville |magazine=The Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine |date=December 1954 |volume=88 |issue=12 |page=1252 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_american-spirit_1954-12_88_12/page/1252/mode/2up |publisher=National Society of the Daughters |language=English}} and continued to teach in public schools for more than 25 years. She additionally worked as a school counselor, and was also the girl's dean at Matthew V. Gilbert Junior-Senior High School. After her husband's death, Mathis retired from schoolwork in 1962.{{cite journal |last1=Crooks |first1=James B. |title=Jacksonville before Consolidation |journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly |date=1998 |volume=77 |issue=2 |pages=161–162 |jstor=30152245 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30152245 |access-date=4 February 2022 |issn=0015-4113}}

After her retirement, she started to commit herself fully to community service and activist issues. She was a member of the NAACP and the League of Women Voters.{{cite book |last1=Weatherford |first1=Doris |title=They Dared to Dream: Florida Women Who Shaped History |date=2015 |publisher=University Press of Florida |isbn=9780813060606 |page=378 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/39882 |access-date=4 February 2022 |via=Project Muse}} She participated in civil rights marches, and as part of the League of Women Voters, she attended city council meetings. Alongside Wendell Holmes, she worked on the issue of school desegregation. She integrated the Jacksonville YWCA and their board of leaders. She was also an organizer for the Jacksonville Opportunities Industrial Council, and founded the Jacksonville Minority Women's Coalition.{{cite book |last1=Spradling |first1=Mary Mace |title=In Black and White |date=1980 |publisher=Gale Research Co. |isbn=978-0-8103-0438-3 |page=656 |url=https://archive.org/details/inblackwhitegu02spra/page/656/mode/2up |access-date=4 February 2022}}

In 1966, Mathis organized an NAACP voter-registration drive.{{cite news |title=Election of 2 Jax Women Hailed by Negro Leaders |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94107119/election-of-2-jax-women-hailed-by-negro/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=22 June 1967 |page=21}}{{Cite news|last=Jones|first=Tracy|date=January 17, 2011|title=They didn't back down|work=The Florida Times-Union}} A year later, she won the first annual Pearson Award from the Florida branch of the NAACP.{{cite news |title=Baptist Leader Florida NAACP Keynote Speaker |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94216100/baptist-leader-florida-naacp-keynote/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=15 October 1968 |page=9-B}} Mathis was also involved in the NAACP Youth Council.{{cite news |title=Former Gov. Askew heads 2015 Civil Rights Hall of Fame class |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94112847/former-gov-askew-heads-2015-civil/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=Tallahassee Democrat |date=14 May 2015 |page=A3}}

Fellow NAACP members encouraged Mathis to run for a city council seat in Jacksonville. After deciding to run, Mathis' campaign platform focused on the idea of "one-government". She suggested that a change in city council would be better for black voters, who made up 40% of the vote in Jacksonville.{{cite news |title=Duval Negro Vote Sought by Both Sides |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94110189/duval-negro-vote-sought-by-both-sides/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The Pensacola News |date=23 August 1967 |page=2A}}{{cite news |title=Negro Voters Progress Toward Power |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94107491/negro-voters-progress-toward-power/ |work=The Manhattan Mercury |date=3 September 1967 |page=23}} She also won favor with white constituents, including in predominantly white precincts.{{cite magazine |title=Florida |magazine=New South |date=Summer 1967 |volume=22 |issue=3 |page=90 |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_new-south_summer-1967_22_3/page/90/mode/2up |access-date=4 February 2022 |publisher=Southern Regional Council, Inc. |language=English}}

Mathis ran against incumbent city council member Barney Cobb in the primary election on June 6, 1967. She won the Democratic nomination for Ward 3, beating Cobb with 19,260 to his 16,872 votes.{{cite news |title=Jax Nominates New Mayor, 2 Negro Women |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94108075/jax-nominates-new-mayor-2-negro-women/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The Pensacola News |date=7 June 1967 |page=8A}} On the June 20th general election, Mathis ran against Republican Theodore Forsyth Jr. for Ward 3{{cite news |title=Jacksonville Mayor Race |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94108936/jacksonville-mayor-race/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The Miami Herald |date=8 June 1967 |page=2-D}} and won with 19,416 to 14,528 votes.{{cite news |title=Jax Negroes Win Commission Posts |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94206178/jax-negroes-win-commission-posts/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=Florida Today |date=21 June 1967 |page=3}}

The general election took place after a grand jury indictment for various corruption charges were brought against eight Jacksonville officials. Once the city council election ended, it was considered a "sweep"; Democrats were elected in all 7 of the contested races, and the election ended with 8 of 9 incumbent members being replaced on the city council.

In 1967, Mathis and Mary Singleton became the first women to sit on the Jacksonville City Council, as well as the first black members of the council since 1907.{{cite news |title=4 Republicans, Negroes Elected |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94107626/4-republicans-negroes-elected/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=Tallahassee Democrat |date=6 December 1967 |page=3}} After the election, Mathis was selected to be on the council's City Pardon Board.{{cite news |title=Jacksonville Council Seats 2 Negro Women |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94109985/jacksonville-council-seats-2-negro-women/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=The Missoulian |date=23 June 1967 |page=9}}

In 1977, she was one of the Florida delegates for the National Women's Conference.{{cite news |title=Delegate List |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94217116/delegate-list/ |access-date=4 February 2022 |work=Pensacola News Journal |date=18 July 1977 |page=5A}} Mathis continued to serve on the Jacksonville City Council until her death in 1982.

The Jacksonville Branch of the NAACP named a community service award after Mathis.{{cite book |title=Contemporary Black biography : profiles from the international Black community |date=1997 |publisher=Gale Research |isbn=978-0-7876-0954-2 |page=61 |volume=15 |url=https://archive.org/details/contemporaryblac0012unse/page/60/mode/2up |access-date=4 February 2022}} The Sallye B. Mathis Elementary School was also named in honor of Mathis.{{Cite web|url=https://flcivilrightshalloffame.org/bio/sallye-brooks-mathis/|title=Sallye Brooks Mathis|website=The Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame}}{{Cite web|url=https://dcps.duvalschools.org/|title=Sallye B. Mathis Elementary / Homepage|website=dcps.duvalschools.org}}

In 2015, she was posthumously inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.{{Cite news|last=Palombo|first=Jessica|date=March 12, 2015|title=Jacksonville Civil Rights Leader To Join Florida Hall Of Fame Posthumously|url=https://news.wjct.org/news/2015-03-12/jacksonville-civil-rights-leader-to-join-florida-hall-of-fame-posthumously|access-date=2 February 2022}}{{Cite web|last=Seeger|first=Matthew|date=2015-05-12|title=Civil Rights Champions Welcomed Into State Hall of Fame|url=https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2015-05-12/civil-rights-champions-welcomed-into-state-hall-of-fame|access-date=2022-02-10|website=WFSU News|language=en}}

• {{Cite journal|last=Walch|first=Barbara|date=1990-01-01|title=New Black Voices: The growth and contributions of Sallye Mathis and Mary Singleton in Florida government.|url=https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/northeast_fla_books/9|journal=Regional and Rare Materials. University of North Florida, Thomas G. Carpenter Library Special Collections and Archives}}

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Category:1912 births

Category:1982 deaths

Category:NAACP activists

Category:Activists from Jacksonville, Florida

Category:American civil rights activists

Category:African-American city council members in Florida

Category:Tuskegee Institute alumni

Category:Florida A&M University alumni

Category:20th-century American educators

Category:20th-century African-American educators

Category:20th-century American women educators