Dorothy Mae DeLavallade Taylor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Louisiana State Representative for District 20 (Orleans Parish) | |
| In office 1971–1980 | |
| Preceded by | Ernest Nathan Morial |
| Member of the New Orleans City Council | |
| In office 1986–1994 | |
| Succeeded by | Two at-large members: Jim Singleton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 10, 1928 New Orleans, Louisiana, US |
| Died | August 18, 2000 (aged 72) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Johnny Taylor, Jr. (married 1948) |
| Children | Seven children |
| Parent(s) | Charles H. and Mary Jackson DeLavallade |
| Residence(s) | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Alma mater | Southern University |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist Government official |
Dorothy Mae DeLavallade Taylor (August 10, 1928 – August 18, 2000), was an educator and politician in New Orleans, the first African-American woman to be elected to and serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives. From 1971 to 1980, she represented District 20, since renumbered, in her native New Orleans. She had started her career as a teacher in the Head Start Program, designed to benefit children in their early years.
She was also active in civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s, gaining more resources for facilities for African Americans in the city. She worked in issues of health care, child care, racial discrimination and inhumane conditions in state prisons. As Director of the Central City Neighborhood Health Clinic from 1980, she also worked to develop African-American leaders among her staff, and mentored a number of future politicians in the state. In 1984 she was appointed by Governor Edwin Edwards as head of the state Department of Urban and Community Affairs, becoming the first African-American woman to hold a cabinet position.