Newsletter: August 22nd, 2023

Important Vote-by-Mail Information

In our last municipal election in March 2023, Delray had a disappointing 14% of registered voters casting ballots.  One of the big reasons was the change in state law about absentee ballots.  Specifically, voters need to request absentee ballots every two years.  Take just one minute of your time to watch Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections, Wendy Sartory Link, explain the new rules.

City of Delray Beach honors Yvonne Lee Odom

Yvonne Lee Odom was recognized at the August 8th Delray Beach City Commission meeting as a community member who took courageous first step to integrate Delray Schools to end separation and inequality in education and ensure that future generations of students and families are afforded the same opportunities as their counterparts.  There was a formal reception held in her honor on Thursday August 10 at the Delray Beach Golf Course with every seat filled.
Yvonne Lee Odom made history on September 28, 1961, as the only black student to walk the halls of Seacrest High School (now Atlantic High School) so that the law could be enforced. In 1954 Brown vs The Board of Educations was passed to end segregation in schools but was not enforced in Delray Beach until 1961.
Yvonne was age 15 when she left her classmates at Carver High School to attend Seacrest where she attended for 3 years. She was the only black student for her first year but by the time she graduated in 1964 there were 5 black students who were also graduating. Ms. Odom recounts, “I went to every school activity that was available, if I was supposed to integrate, I was going to integrate.” She attended both Junior and Senior Proms at Seacrest as well as Carver High School where her high school sweetheart (who she later married) attended. Yvonne went on to earn her AA Degree in Psychology, a BA in elementary education and a Master’s degree in reading education.   
She began teaching in 1968 at Delray Beach Elementary and continued teaching in the city of Delray Beach for 45 years. We join in celebrating Yvonne Lee Odom’s outstanding legacy.