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Sierra Kondos

Special to the News

Bobbie Patterson, a trailblazing figure in Beaumont, was honored the Living Legend award at the Martin Luther King Jr.  celebration in Port Arthur recently.

Patterson was the first black, female city council member and Mayor Pro Tem, winning her first election by one vote in 1995. Patterson founded Operation One Vote, a nonprofit focused on voter mobilization, and the 100 Plus Black Women Coalition.

“I was the first one to form the voter empowerment program, which still exists today, Operation One Vote in Beaumont, probably in the Golden Triangle,” Patterson said. “More people need to vote. First of all, it really sunk into me when I won my first election by one vote which let me know or demonstrated to me how important every person’s vote is. When they say, “One man, one vote,” it’s true.”

Patterson said her passion for voting stems from her parents and a former neighbor.

“I was fortunate to live in the neighborhood of Representative Albert Price,” she said. “Al was our Texas State Representative for 22 years and just watching him and working in his campaigns, seeing how important it is for people to vote, and seeing some of the laws that were passed that helped, it just kind of got me involved in it.”

 This inspired Patterson to volunteer in David Moore’s campaign when he became a city council member and a mayor of Beaumont from 1994 to 2002.

“I really started getting interested and in the history of voting,” she said. “And how important it really is, and I just didn’t understand why we take it for granted and why there’s so much voter apathy. I realized after I won my first race, one vote is very, very important. If I didn’t have that one vote, I would have lost.”

Her goals for the year include organizing the 100 Plus Black, Red, and Green Banquet on March 29,2025 offering scholarships, and supporting local organizations.

“Operation One Vote is a nonprofit organization where we organize to mobilize citizens to vote, to register to vote, to educate them, and to ultimately get them out to vote,” she said. “And we do this by way of voter registration forums. Voter Education works is a seminar.”

Patterson is the first black City Council member from Beaumont to be honored by the Texas State Black Legislators for the outstanding Texan award.

“I was the only person to organize a service-oriented organization called 100 Plus Black Women Coalition of Beaumont Inc.,” she said. “And I believe that I was honored because of all of the activities that we do with the Operation One Vote Program and the 100 Plus Black Women Coalition at home.”

The Beaumont native said her goal is to continue the work that she pursues in the community.

“We are now planning our only fundraiser,” she said. “Which is called 100 Plus Black, Red and Green Banquet which will be held on March 29 at the MCM Elegante Hotel.”

The event is open for the public to buy tickets and attend. 

However, Patterson urges people to buy their tickets fast as the venue only holds up to 500 people.

“We honor our sponsors, public high school girls with $1,000 scholarships, and we select two women in the community who, for whatever reason, was not able to go to college or finish college, and we give them a little scholarship,” she said. 

“We also use the fundraiser money to do our annual back-to-school supply giveaway in which we give from anywhere from 1000 to 1500 back-to-school supplies in backpacks.”

Patterson said the fundraiser money also goes towards outside organizations that help the community.

“I would really like to be able to help the homeless more, too,” she said. “We partner with a couple of organizations and give them socks and blankets as well as giving diapers to the Hope Center for the teenage pregnant girls.”

Bobbi Patterson is a trailblazing woman who leads by example for the improvement of the quality of life for all citizens in Southeast Texas.