The first African-American woman ever elected to Jacksonville City Council in 1967 is getting posthumously inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
Gov. Rick Scott will honor Sallye Mathis at a ceremony in Tallahassee scheduled for May. She is one of three inductees this year.
Mathis died in the early 1980's, and her niece, Jacksonville author Brooke Stephens, says her aunt would still be fighting if she were alive.
“Jobs. Education. Voting rights. Many of the same issues that she worked on are still there," Stephens says. "The problems have not gone away. Yes, she would be excited and proud that we have a black president, but, as everyone else is saying, that’s not the only problem; we still have so much more work to do. And she would be working just as hard.”
While on City Council, Mathis worked on issues including free public restrooms, cheaper transportation for seniors and a Citizens’ Review Board to oversee police. In addition to serving on City Council, Mathis was a Duval County public school teacher for about three decades. She is the namesake of Sallye B. Mathis Elementary School on Jacksonville's northwest side.
