Iola Williams facts for kids

Iola M. Williams (born February 2, 1936 – died April 4, 2019) was an American leader. She worked as a politician, a public official, and a civil rights activist. She also helped run a museum. In 1979, Iola Williams made history. She became the first African-American person to join the San Jose City Council. She served on the council from 1979 until she retired in 1991. During this time, she was also the Vice Mayor of San Jose, California for two terms.

Williams played a key role in creating the African American Military History Museum in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She was the museum's first executive director. She saved the building that became the museum. It had opened in 1942 as a USO Club for African American soldiers during World War II. Thanks to Williams, this old USO Club was saved, fixed up, and reopened as the African American Military History Museum in 2009.

Early Life and Family

Iola Craft was born on February 2, 1936, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Her mother was a teacher, and her father worked in a warehouse. She went to the Eureka School in Hattiesburg. This was the first brick school building built for black students in Mississippi during a time of segregation.

In 1955, Iola married George Williams Sr. He was a United States Air Force officer from her neighborhood. George Williams became a master sergeant during his career. Iola and George had seven children in their first ten years of marriage. They had four daughters: Jenifer, Audrey, Beverly, and Ila. They also had three sons: Vincent, George Jr., and Kevin. The Williams family moved often because of George's Air Force job. They lived in South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, and California. They also lived in Europe for three years, including in West Germany.

In 1966, while Iola Williams was living overseas, her cousin, Vernon Dahmer, was attacked. He had been using his grocery store to help black residents in Hattiesburg register to vote. Dahmer died from the attack. His death brought national attention to the civil rights struggle.

A Career in Politics

In 1969, Iola Williams and her family moved to San Jose, California. Her husband got a job there as a mechanic for United Airlines. Iola Williams had studied to become a nurse. She started working at O'Connor Hospital in San Jose. The Williams family went to Antioch Baptist Church in downtown San Jose. This church was known for helping new black leaders grow. Iola Williams played the piano, sang in the church choir, and volunteered at the church's school. This led to her interest in joining the local school board.

First African-American on the School Board

In 1970, Iola Williams became the first African-American person elected to the Franklin-McKinley School District school board. This school district covers part of San Jose. She served on the school board from 1970 until 1979. Her election was the start of many women being elected to public office in Santa Clara County during the 1970s. The county became known as the "feminist capital of the world." This was because so many women were elected officials there.

Other important women who entered politics then included Williams and Janet Gray Hayes. Hayes became the first female Mayor of San Jose in 1975. Women also gained more power on the San Jose City Council. Williams said that the rise of other female politicians helped her enter politics. It also helped her understand the political world in the 1970s.

Joining the San Jose City Council

Williams tried to win a seat on the San Jose City Council in the late 1970s. She used the campaign slogan "Iola the Un-Colla," but she did not win that race.

However, soon after the 1978 election, council member Susanne Wilson left her seat. Wilson had been elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. In 1979, Iola Williams was chosen to fill Wilson's empty seat on the San Jose City Council. This made her the first African-American person to serve on the council ever. She was elected to her first full term in 1980. Williams served on the city council from 1979 until she retired in 1991. She also served two terms as the Vice Mayor of San Jose at the same time.

In 1980, after joining the city council, Williams received a special fellowship. It was from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She completed her studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Champion for Rights

Iola Williams was known for fighting for the rights of minority groups and women's rights during her time on the city council. Ken Yeager, who worked on her campaigns, said she was a very important person in the civil rights movement. He noted that as the first African American on the San Jose City Council, she opened doors for other minorities to run for office. Yeager also said she was very open and friendly. She had a strong sense of right and wrong. This was important when there were many disagreements about women’s rights, African American rights, and gay rights. In 1986, a local gay rights group held its first dinner. Iola Williams was the only elected official to attend.

During the 1980s, a group called the Ku Klux Klan asked for permission to march in downtown San Jose. Iola Williams had grown up in segregated Mississippi. Her cousin, Vernon Dahmer, had been attacked by the KKK in 1966. Many people were surprised when Iola Williams voted to allow the march in San Jose. She said she did this because of her strong belief in civil rights. Her daughter, Jenifer Williams, explained that her mother felt her cousin had died for those civil rights.

Iola Williams also focused on improving San Jose's neighborhoods and local services. For example, she supported changing how city council members were elected. This change gave neighborhoods more say in choosing their council members. She also made a key vote to keep two city streets as one-way streets. This was to help with traffic and keep pedestrians safe.

She and her fellow council members started a new program. It helped senior citizens get healthcare services. Williams said this program was her greatest achievement. Later, the city council renamed it the Iola Williams Seniors Program in her honor.

Williams also held important positions in California's state politics. She was elected president of the League of California Cities. This is a group for city officials. She also served on the League's human resource committee and its board of directors. This group represents California cities to the state government.

Williams also held leadership roles within the statewide California Democratic Party.

Return to Mississippi

In 1991, Williams decided not to run for re-election. She retired from the San Jose City Council. Her husband also retired from his job as an airline mechanic around the same time. Williams and her husband moved back to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. They did not tell their friends or co-workers beforehand. While living in California, Williams had often visited Hattiesburg to care for her mother. She even kept a small mobile home there. Once back in her hometown, Williams became very involved in local government and community groups.

Founding the African American Military History Museum

Soon after returning to Mississippi, Hattiesburg Mayor J. Ed Morgan asked Williams to join the city government. He appointed her as the Director of Recreation and Community Relations in 1992. Mayor Morgan told Williams that the city could not pay her as much as she earned in California. However, he promised that the city would help fix up an old, neglected USO Club. The city bought this building in 1993. The club had opened in 1942 for African-American soldiers from Camp Shelby during World War II. It was in the historic black neighborhood of Mobile.

Williams, as head of community relations, asked local military veterans to donate items for a new museum. This museum would be at the USO club site. It later became known as the African American Military History Museum. The renovation of the old USO Club cost about $1.1 million. Another $400,000 was needed for the museum's collections and exhibits.

The African American Military History Museum opened to the public on May 23, 2009. It is the only USO Club that served African American servicemen during World War II that is still in use in the United States. Williams said her favorite exhibit was about Ruth Bailey Earl. Earl was a United States Army nurse who served during World War II. Williams admired Earl very much. She said Earl was always fashionable and made any room brighter.

Iola Williams served as a commissioner for the Hattiesburg Convention Commission from 2004 to 2014.

In 2006, Iola and George Williams started a lunch program. It helped local Mississippi senior citizens who were affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Later Life and Legacy

In January 2016, Iola Williams returned to San Jose. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the African-American Community Service Agency. That same year, the award was renamed in her honor. She reminded everyone that her own relatives could not vote during their lives. She said her grandmother and mother could not vote until the 1970s. She joked that she was glad to get her "flowers while I'm still alive." U.S. Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Mike Honda were among those who attended the awards.

Iola Williams and her husband moved to Lampasas, Texas. They wanted to be closer to her family after she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. She died from Parkinson's disease in Lampasas on April 4, 2019, at age 83. Iola Williams was survived by her husband, George, her seven children, seventeen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Her funeral was held on April 20, 2019.