Carolyn Mason
School integration caused trauma and fear for Carolyn Mason and rightly so.
She lived in Overtown’s “Black Bottom” located at the corner of 8th Street and Central Avenue in segregated Sarasota. There was a dividing line at 3rd Street or present day Fruitville Road. “I call it the Mason-Dixon line. North of Fruitville was the Black community; and south was downtown for the more affluent community.” The communities did not mix. “My senior year in high school should be my best year, but it was full of apprehension. I couldn’t think past the fear of being around people I had never been around before. I didn’t know what I was afraid of, but I was afraid. Somebody should have talked to the children – all of the children – about what to expect. Somebody should have said, ‘You don’t have anything to worry about.’”
Mason began a career in public service after viewing a theater production in Sarasota that lacked a diverse cast. Frustrated, she became the go between for talented African American artists and arts organizations. “I offered myself as a bridge. I was probably on the board at one time of every arts organization in Sarasota County.” She was elected to the Sarasota City Commission and served from 1999 to 2003. She was Mayor of Sarasota from 2001 to 2003. Mason is the first African American elected to the Sarasota County Commission in 2008 and served as chair in 2013 and 2015. Social issues are the focus of her work. Carolyn Mason’s oral history was provided by interviewer Hope Black.
Play Video
