TAMPA, Fla. — “I am just so happy to be able to be alive.”
Those were Chloe Coney's words when she called Thursday morning – a day before a legacy wall is scheduled to be unveiled in her honor at the nonprofit she founded in Tampa.
Hours earlier, she'd been profiled by Axios, which described her as a "change agent" – a term Coney uses too.
Coney has been making history since birth. In 1950, she became the first Black baby born at Charlotte County Hospital. A family member had previously died in childbirth with a midwife, and Coney's dad wanted to make sure she was born at a hospital. Coney's middle name, Juanita, was the name of one of the nurses there.
Growing up, Coney went to six different schools around the Tampa Bay area. She was in the very first class of the newly-built Just Junior High School in West Tampa.
One of Coney's early role models was President John F. Kennedy, who visited Tampa just four days before he was assassinated in Dallas. After his passing, the words of his inaugural address continued to resonate: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."
So, she had an idea.
“As a 13-year-old girl, I thought I’ll help integrate the school system," Coney recalled on the phone.
A self-described "risk-taker," Coney became one of three Black students to leave Just Junior High in an effort to begin integrating high schools around the region.
And she would continue to break down barriers.
Coney went on to become the first Black woman hired as a probation and parole officer in all of Hillsborough County.
“One of the greatest joys I’ve had was working in the court," she recalled.
In 1992, she founded the Corporation to Develop Communities of Tampa (CDC). Its goal was to help reduce poverty and deterioration in East Tampa.
In 2008, the corporate headquarters was named after her. And, in 2012, her son Ernest Coney, Jr. became president and CEO.
It's there, at the Chloe Coney Urban Enterprise Center, where the legacy wall will be revealed during a ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday. Among the attendees will be U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, with whom Chloe Coney worked for a decade. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and City Councilman Orlando Gudes will also attend the event, which is open to the public.
During the ceremony, some of Coney's signature hats will be sold to raise money for youth initiatives underway through the CDC.
As Coney looks toward the future, she wants activists to be action-oriented, going beyond just talk.
“If I see something that needs to be fixed, especially fighting for justice, if I see a wrong, I’m willing to make it right – whatever the cost is," Coney said.
As she reflected on her work with the CDC, she spoke about drug marches and efforts to improve neighborhoods.
One story that stuck with her was the 1983 murder of 15-year-old Lisa Davis, who was shot at the former Rabbit's Foot Bar in Tampa. The bar was forced to close. But, that memory didn't fade for Coney. After she founded the CDC, she knew she wanted to turn the building into something good. Today, the CDC of Tampa Audrey L. Spotford Center Youth and Family Center stands in its place. Opened in 2000, it has now sent 7,000 young people off to college.
“My whole goal in doing this is to encourage and challenge the next generation that they can build upon the legacy before," Coney told 10 Tampa Bay.
Ersula Odom designed the legacy wall for Coney. The wall uses photos from different stages of Coney's life. It will help ensure her story and contributions to the CDC are remembered for years to come.
To learn more about the CDC of Tampa, click here.
