No one else in the long history of Dallas has managed to be a politician as close to the life of the community as Mattie Nash was. The woman put a lot of effort into developing the city and improving the standard of living of its residents. She fought for the preservation of public housing, advocated the closure of a lead factory and initiated socially important programs in several political organizations at once. Colleagues have always noted persistence and tirelessness as the most important character traits of the politician. Read more on dallas-yes.
Housing as a problem for Dallas residents
Mattie Nash devoted most of her political activity to solving the housing issue for citizens. She was especially active in this issue in 1992. Since then, she has been called Mom Nash and the unofficial mayor of West Dallas.
Mrs. Nash had lived in Dallas from 1948. On her own initiative, she became a member of the city council. She emphasized the need to build high-quality residential buildings on the territory of the community. In her opinion, this would be the reason for the return of many young people to the city. The woman was not left out even when there were rumors about the intentions of the city authorities to demolish almost 3,000 houses, which were mostly located in the African-American parts of the city. Fortunately, Mattie Nash was working for Dallas Housing Authority during this period. Only due to the fact that the politician had certain rights, residential buildings were saved. Additionally, Mattie initiated several petitions for water, paving, sewer and gas in the West Dallas area.
The townspeople were indescribably happy that a person who was ready to represent their true interests finally appeared in the political structure.
Mattie Nash belonged to many political organizations. She was a member of the Progressive Voters League of Dallas County, the Coalition of Black Democrats and the National Congress of Black Women. In addition, she managed to become the president of the Federation of Women of the 23rd Senate District and the vice president of Texas Democratic Women.
A three-year struggle for the closure of the GAF lead plant
The infamous lead plant located in West Dallas has caused a lot of controversy over the years. Its owners and the city authorities seem to turn a blind eye to its activities. However, ordinary citizens do not have time to rest between numerous rallies, where they advocate its closure. Mattie Nash was one of such activists.
The politician, like no other, supported the initiative to close the plant, which has been poisoning the city’s residents for years. She was a native of Corsicana, which is located 55 kilometers from Dallas. Thus, she heard about the harm of GAF from childhood. During one of her public appearances, Mattie Nash talked about the childhood of one of her acquaintances, which was ruined by the lead plant. First, he lost his father early, who had been suffering from oncology for many years. The reason for the terrible illness was that the man worked for 23 years at the GAF lead factory. Few people doubted this because such cases were not isolated. In addition to this, Mattie Nash’s acquaintance was a sickly boy. He would sometimes suffocate for no reason or feel terrible weakness in his muscles. His mother, who had already lost her husband, blamed the poisonous exhaust of GAF for everything.
Mom Nash died at the age of 87 from respiratory failure. Until her last days, the woman tried to remain in her active public position. She did this even when she no longer had anything to do with political processes in the city. Although she never succeeded in closing down the lead plant, she was able to pass on her strong position to the next generation.