Arthenia Joyner, who was born in Lakeland in 1943 and grew up in Tampa, was first elected to the Florida Legislature in 2000, taking office amid the legal turmoil of the presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore.
Her sixteen year career as a Democratic state lawmaker included two years as senate minority leader, and she was the first Black woman elected to that post.
Joyner sat down with Florida Matters to talk about her trailblazing career and an upbringing that helped shape her commitment to equality and justice.
Listen to the interview or read highlights from the transcript below:
On growing up in the Tampa Bay region in the 1940s and 50s:
My most profound memory as a child was prior to my family moving here from Lakeland. I think I was 5 and my dad came home one day and he rushed in and said, pull the shades down and lock the door, the Klan's marching. And of course we did, not really knowing what the Klan was. But we did peek out the window and I saw these men with robes and hoods on and I asked my father, 'wat was that about? Why is it that we have to lock down, in essence, whatever a kid would say at 5, and he said that those are white men who don't like Black people, don't feel like they are equal to them. And so they constantly frighten you by showing up and marching and burning crosses in your yard. But don't worry about it. I'll take care of you. And then subsequent to that, we moved to Tampa. And I had a wonderful childhood. My father owned the original Cotton Club on Central Avenue. Central Avenue was the mecca of Black business in this town. It was from Cass to Henderson, maybe about eight blocks and every business within those streets were Black businesses. So you had an opportunity to see professionals and non-professionals, doctors, lawyers, dentists, photographers, bail bondsmen, cab stands, movie theater, restaurants, just the gamut of businesses.
And so I knew that of all these people there, I could be anything I wanted to be. There was Francisco Rodriguez, the lawyer. Dr. Lewis, the dentist, Dr. Archie, the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, the second black newspaper in Tampa, and I was the first teenage social editor of the newspaper.
"There's something exciting about being out there on the ground, knocking on doors, holding up placards. I did everything. I licked stamps, I knocked on doors, I made speeches. But this was over a period of years, and I loved it. It was exciting to me. "Arthenia Joyner
On why she decided to become a lawyer:
[Florida Sentinel Bulletin editor] Mr. Andrews Jr. wanted me to go into law, and my dad said no, I don't want you to starve, newspaper reporters don't really get paid commensurate with their education. But I knew when I was in fifth grade that I wanted to be a lawyer. I was in fifth grade and my teacher was Doris Ross Reddick and Reddick was the first Black woman elected to the Hillsborough County School Board. Well during that time, she was a fifth-grade teacher. And Brown v. Board opinion came down when I was in fifth grade, and there was some discussion about it. And that's when I decided, heck, I want to be like Thurgood Marshall, I want to be a lawyer, so I can fight for equality for Black people, specifically, and all others who may be marginalized. And so I knew from fifth grade what I wanted to be.
On taking part in Woolworths lunch counter sit-ins in 1960 to protest segregation:
We didn't know how people will react, but law enforcement was there, there were people there. And when you're young and idealistic, and you feel that your rights have been trampled on, you do what you think is in the best interest of you and your people. And you put aside your fears, and you move on and participate and say whatever happens, happens. It's that thing about being young makes a big difference, when you are fighting for equality.
On what motivated her to get involved in politics:
In 1971 I met Shirley Chisholm. And Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress, and the first Black to run from a major party for President of the United States. So she called and asked me if I would organize a group of women and would I lead them and be her local campaign manager. And I enjoyed it. And then I met Jesse Jackson, around the same time in, in the late '60s. And then when Jesse announced for president, he gave me a call and asked me to be his local campaign manager. And I said, No, I gotta practice law. And he said, yes, but you got a responsibility to get involved. And so I did. So I ran his campaign in '84, he lost and in '88, he ran again.
And then in the National Bar Association, I met Gov. Bill Clinton. And a couple of years later, [Tampa mayor] Sandy Freedman invited him to Tampa, she was the first elected official in Florida to endorse him. And he came and met with a group of us. And ironically, in the group, I was the one person he knew from the National Bar when he had been our banquet speaker. And he spoke, and then the next day, I get a call and ...along with a young man we ran the campaign and went through all that occurred during that campaign. So I've been with Shirley and Jesse and Bill and in between Lawton Chiles' campaign was right before, for governor.
And so, you know, I got a lot of exposure in politics with all of these people. So fast-forward to 1999. And I get invited to a party at Alex Sink and Bill McBride's house, and there's a lady there, Lois Frankel — Congresswoman Lois Frankel now from Palm Beach County — was the Democratic leader who asked me to run.
"I think when George Floyd's death occurred, we saw galvanizing of people from all walks of life. And I would say, that's not lost. Now, it created some relationships that will help us move this country toward being what the American Dream is all about. And I just have confidence that I know that we are not going to back down. "Arthenia Joyner
You know, I just wanted to produce winners. I wanted to work in campaigns where people won and I had been successful, and I loved it.
There's something exciting about being out there on the ground, knocking on doors, holding up placards. I did everything. I licked stamps, I knocked on doors, I made speeches. But this was over a period of years, and I loved it. It was exciting to me. So [Frankel] asked me and I said, I'll think about it. And then I said yes. And the rest is history. She asked in December of 1999 and I won in November 2000. And we all know about the tumultuous 2000 election. That was the Bush v Gore. And so you go to Tallahassee, and they had nothing but media all over, all you could see. Oh my God, wires everywhere, you had to step over. Every media in the world was in Tallahassee because the Bush v Gore vote count was still going on. But that was my beginning.
On changes in the Florida Legislature and the increasing focus on culture war issues in recent years:
Well, first, I want to point out that this is not the first time that there was a super majority, when a senator named Rich was Democratic leader, there were only 12 Democrats in the Florida Senate out of 40. But the big difference between then and now is there were moderate Republicans, Republicans who stood up and did not follow the leader or the pied piper, as we would say.
And every night when I was in the House, I'd say thank God for the Senate. Then when I got to the Senate, I was able to work with these people who saw things differently, and who would not let any one person control them. Now, they don't have that. It's basically, you do whatever you're told to do.
On what gives her hope for the future:
I've encountered a lot of young people who are now beginning to see and understand that they have a responsibility to get out there and to help make change occur. I think when George Floyd's death occurred, we saw galvanizing of people from all walks of life. And I would say, that's not lost. Now, it created some relationships that will help us move this country toward being what the American Dream is all about. And I just have confidence that I know that we are not going to back down. See, that's the major thing, Black people are not going back down, I'm not going back, I would die first. And there are young ones who are saying they now have some real understanding of what those of us from the 60s encountered, you know, and so it's taken on a different form. But they're standing up and speaking out and organizing, and social media has done a big job of getting the word out and galvanizing people to come and fight for their right to equality in this country.
