People who worked with Mable Butler throughout her decades of service to Orlando and Orange County describe her as a force of nature: Blunt to the point of offense at times, a sharp-eyed negotiator on behalf of the people she served, possessed of an abiding conviction that her race and gender would not be barriers to her leadership. A formidable opponent, who could at times be just as challenging to people on her own side.
Mable Butler, trailblazing Orlando politician and advocate, dies at 98
But when the fighting was done, when she looked her former antagonists in the eye and said “I love you,” people believed her. In a 2022 interview with Spectrum News 13’s Curtis McCloud, she remembered what Mayor Bill Frederick once said about her: “‘She will run over you, but she will pick you up and take you to the hospital.’ I like that. Remember me that way. I made a difference, and I know that.”
That conviction — that she knew what this community needed and that she was destined to deliver it — is being remembered this weekend, as people gather to celebrate Butler’s trailblazing contributions to Orlando and Orange County after her death earlier this month at the age of 98.
Butler was drawn into public life soon after she moved to Orange County in 1957, separated from the father of the four children she brought with her. Involvement in her children’s schools led to work as director of a community center, and then activism on behalf of candidates who saw the needs of Orlando’s Black community. She was a member of Orlando Mayor Bob Carr’s biracial committee, a group formed in 1963.
The group is largely credited with steering Orlando through the turmoil of desegregation without the public ugliness and violence that marked other cities’ transitions. The committee negotiated an arrangement that allowed Black residents to dine in restaurants and stay in hotels that formerly only served white people, and crafted an ordinance that let the city enforce civil-rights protections such as housing discrimination, instead of waiting for state or national authorities to take an interest. Eventually, the committee paved the way for greater minority involvement in city government, both as employees and elected officials..
And Butler was one of the pioneers on the newly blazed path, though it took time to reach her destination. In 1984, she became the first Black woman elected to the Orlando City Council. In 1990, she became the first African-American to be elected to the Orange County Commission. In both positions, she was relentlessly focused on fair representation and better services for those who struggled against poverty and prejudice.
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Even after she retired from elected office itself, she remained a force to be reckoned with in Orange County politics. She had many proteges, among them Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who said on Facebook that he’d known her since childhood. “She was my neighbor, political mentor and supporter. I owe her a debt of gratitude for helping pave the way for me to break barriers as a politician,” Demings wrote. Another: Homer Hartage, who was elected to the County Commission in 1998 as Butler’s handpickled successor, only to earn her disapproval. That led to a heated re-election campaign in 2002, where Hartage eked out a win over a candidate Butler was backing.
Butler kept her thumb on the scales of county and city politics for years after she stepped down, with her endorsement a prized commodity.
In today’s environment, with politicians crudely dismissing racial-equity and diversity initiatives as “woke” and doing their best to deny the deep wounds inflicted as the nation progressed from slavery to segregation, Butler’s remarkable journey should remind everyone of how far our society has come —- and how much of a stake we all share in maintaining a world where skin color or gender doesn’t define a person’s capabilities and potential. Not everyone can live the extraordinary life that Butler claimed for herself, and not everyone can look back on such a record of accomplishment. But her story should serve as inspiration for those who still see barriers to be overcome. Butler left a legacy that is well worth fighting for. Defending it would be the best homage to her memory.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Executive Editor Roger Simmons and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Contact us at insight@orlandosentinel.com
