Jacksonville Beach Street honors the city’s first black woman councilwoman

Jacksonville Beach is renaming one among its streets to honor its first black city councillors. Margaret Ann McQueen will now without end be remembered for her place in the Florida city’s history.

McQueen’s street sign is clearly visible at the intersection of Second Ave South and Seventh Street South in the city, about 20 miles from Jacksonville. Her efforts towards improvement According to ., its community can also be a step towards diversity.

According to the Beaches Museum at McQueen born in these areas in 1940. She remained a resident of the Beaches commune just about all her life. After returning to her hometown together with her children in 1969, McQueen earned a level in education from the University of North Florida in 1971.

Teaching at one among the local elementary schools led her to community organizing, and she or he noticed how drugs and violence were flooding the area. Before she entered local politics, in 1989 she headed a community motion cooperative in Jacksonville Beach that sought to foster higher relations between the city’s police and residents. The co-operative has also worked to handle the increase in crime in the Beaches.

Two years later, she ran for City Council representing District 1. At the age of 51, the mother of 4 became the first-ever black member of the Jacksonville Beach City Council. McQueen’s election got here via a newly created district ballot during which voters could select their candidates based on their location.

She held this position from 1991 to 1994, and in 1998 she took up one other term. During her tenure, she brought white and black residents together through volunteering. She also advocated for equal representation in local leadership.

Although McQueen died in 2013 at the age of 73, her legacy of uniting the Beaches community lives on. As a city councilwoman, McQueen paved the way for more organizers to change into representatives of their neighborhoods. He stays a key figure in the city’s history and politics.