C. Bette Wimbish

C. Bette Wimbish (March 24, 1924 – November 30, 2009) was one of the leading African-American woman activists in Florida promoting the desegregation of schools and civil equality. She was most commonly known as a civil rights activist, a politician, and the first African American on the St. Petersburg, Florida city council. As well as being the first African-American to hold elected office in the Tampa Bay area in the 20th-century, She was the wife of Ralph Wimbish and the mother of three children. Discouraged but determined, Wimbish began working towards a degree at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes, which is now known as Florida A&M. She began her career as a physical education teacher, while her husband pursued studies in medicine at Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Instead of complying to desegregate the schools, the Pinellas County Board of Public Instruction built new segregated schools that were supposed to reinforce the idea of "separate but equal". However, the county rejected black applicants to these new all-white institutions. The decision to run was particularly fueled by the district's solution to the overcrowding of black high schools - not integration, but rather the creation of a new black high school in a small area of South Saint Petersburg. As a result, Governor LeRoy Collins encouraged biracial committees to find solutions. the Riders made several trips to the home of Dr. and Mrs. Wimbish for rest and recreation. They rode on segregated buses of the city of Saint Petersburg without incident unlike their experiences in Alabama and Mississippi.

Life after law school At the age of 45, Bette's husband Ralph died from a heart attack during her last two weeks of law school at Florida A&M. She ran unsuccessful campaigns for the state Senate and Congress centering her ideas around environmental crisis and drug education.

Death and legacy Wimbish died on November 30, 2009, at the age of 85. She was a celebrated member of the community. She was a member of numerous organizations including: the Florida Bar Association, the Florida Government Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the National Bar Association, National Council of Negro Women, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and National Urban League. She was recognized in Who's Who Among Black Americans, Who's Who in American Politics, Florida Women of Distinction, and Outstanding Women of Florida.