Florasina Ware was known as a strong activist for children, the elderly, and those less fortunate.

Ware was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 7, 1912. She moved around with her family in a specially equipped railroad car provided by the company for which her father worked. Because of her father’s job, she never attended the same school for more than a few months that is until high school. She later attended college briefly before marrying and moving to Tacoma.

By 1947, she was living in Seattle but was dissatisfied with the quality of the Central area schools. She decided to put pressure on school officials for improvements. She was eventually arrested for passing out leaflets in front of Horace Mann Elementary School. However, that did not stop Ware, she continued to push for improvements in a calm and positive manner. She pushed for academic improvement in the public schools, for quality health care for the aged, and for more employment opportunities for the poor.

Ware represented Seattle in numerous national conferences on programs from Head Start to projects in support of the aged. She also raised 20 foster children, giving them a loving and stable home environment. Ware was a mainstay on the Seattle King County Economic Opportunity Board during the War on Poverty years. Florasina Ware died on March 17, 1981.

sources:

http://www.historylink.org/File/1145