At the time Sylvia Elizabeth Mathis set out to become the first black female FBI agent, African-American women were finally getting opportunities in many areas thanks to works by influential black female leaders like Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Dorothy Height. In the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), women were gradually being integrated into the Bureau’s agent ranks. Photo: FBIBorn on July 7, 1949 and raised in North Carolina and Florida, Mathis showed dedication to service and family and chalked many successes while growing up. Her law school dean, who was a former FBI agent, later urged her to consider joining the FBI. At the end of it all, she excelled, making history as the FBI’s first African-American female agent.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 20, 2020 17:31 UTC