TAMPA, Fla. — The grand marshal of Tampa’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade is a well-known and respected member of the East Tampa community.

Gwendolyn Miller, 89, was the first African American woman elected to the Tampa City Council and later served as the council’s first chairwoman. Miller was elected to the city council for the first time in 1995, shortly after retiring from a 37-year career as both a teacher and specialist at Hillsborough County Public Schools.

What You Need To Know

  • Tampa MLK parade begins at 12 p.m. on Jan. 15

  • The route runs from 15th and 21st  to 22nd and Osborne

  • Florida A&M University, Bethune-Cookman and Edward Waters University Marching Band will perform in the parade 

Miller says it was a mix of community members and friends who first asked her to run for the District 5 seat, which governs many East Tampa communities. After a long career, she says she wasn’t expecting to spend 18 more years as an elected official, but doesn’t regret a thing.

“I was the only lady on the council and they all were men,” Miller said. “They would give me the opportunity to do what I need to do.”

After first taking office, Miller says her goal was to clean up many of the East Tampa neighborhoods that had fallen into disrepair or were piled with trash. She says she’d drive through the neighborhoods with a notepad and write down the areas that needed attention and then consult with her staff to create an action plan.

“Nobody ever turned me down because they knew we needed it in this area,” she said. “It’s an overlooked area and I couldn’t stand living in an area that’s not the kind you want to live in.”

Miller also focused her efforts on the city council towards the children who live in East Tampa. She helped to turn what was a small structure into the Gwendolyn Miller Recreation Center. The center is now home to summer and after-school programs, sports leagues, a game room, library and computer lab.

While she’s now officially retired, Miller still assists in finding guest speakers to lead events at the recreation center and fields calls from constituents.

Monday’s MLK parade in Tampa is what the Martin Luther King Parade Foundation says will be its largest yet. The parade begins at 12 p.m. at 15th and 21st streets.