TAMPA, Fla. — This Black History Month, we're highlighting a Tampa woman who has helped shape education across Hillsborough County for decades.
From growing up during the Jim Crow era to helping create school policy, Doretha Edgecomb has spent her life fighting for children and families. Many call her a living legend who has inspired the African American community and Hillsborough County with her focus on children and education.
"It's what I think that I was put here on earth to do," said Edgecomb.
Her journey began decades ago in a very different world. Edgecomb grew up in Tampa during the Jim Crow era in what she describes as a segregated but supportive environment.
"People were very protective of us from our teachers to our parents to our church members because they knew the world was kind of harsh, because there, well, you know, these misconceptions about who we were as black people," Edgecomb said.
It wasn't until she went to college in Alabama in the early 1960s that she came face-to-face with that harsh reality. After she said a classmate was brutally beaten for sitting on the white side of a bus depot, students protested, and she joined them.
"That was really eye-opening when I could see how mean people could be just because of the color of our skin," Edgecomb said.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. came to campus and spoke directly to them.
"He spoke to us. He encouraged us. He inspired us, and he expected that we should do something in light of the situation that had happened," Edgecomb said.
It was in that moment that she felt called to speak up and stand against injustice.
When Edgecomb returned to Tampa, she turned that conviction into action, dedicating her life to education. She started in the classroom as a middle school teacher, became principal at Robles Elementary, and eventually helped shape district-wide decisions as a member of the Hillsborough County School Board.
The middle school forum she created is still giving students a voice today.
"Hearing students' voices is really important. I thought it was important to have kids talk about what their needs are, what they want to see as part of their education," said Edgecomb.
At Robles Elementary, which serves many low-income families, she worked to ensure students felt valued and never defined by their ZIP code.
"I want kids to feel that their environment, their ZIP code, their address didn't define them," Edgecomb said. "There are going to be obstacles, but you don't stay at the bottom, you get up, and you move forward, and you keep going."
Out of the seven Children's Board Hillsborough County Family Resource Centers, the Temple Terrace location is the only one named after a person - and that's Doretha Edgecomb. The center offers free classes, developmental screenings, language programs, and support for families across Hillsborough County, regardless of income.
For parents like Jarrett Johnson, the impact is clear.
"She's coming out of her shell a little bit more and enjoying the space," Johnson said. "I think it really provides a really good community of other parents and kids as well."
For leaders like Tyheshia Scott, director of Children's Board Hillsborough County Family Resource Centers, Edgecomb's influence goes far beyond programs.
"There are so many doors that I walked through because she opened them. And not only did she open them, but she's still there on the other side to hold my hand as I try to open up doors and walk through and create pathways for the girls that are coming behind me," Scott said.
In a month dedicated to honoring change-makers, Edgecomb's story is still being written. A legacy rooted in resilience, a life devoted to children, and a reminder that sometimes, the legends we celebrate aren't just in textbooks.
"A lot of times we talk about very deserving people, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, and a lot of African-American historical figures, but this is like one of those they walk among us type of things," Scott said.
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