Biography
Martha Olivia Bryant-Hall for Maitland City Council Seat 2
Martha Olivia Bryant-Hall, born in Camilla, GA, has been a resident of central Florida since the age of three. Her late parents, Willie and Thelma Lee Johnson, raised her to always stand on the side of truth and justice for all and she has been proud to carry on their legacy her entire life.
Martha graduated from Rollins College in 1984 with a degree in Social Science. She knows the value of higher education and instilled her philosophy that “Education is freedom and power” in her seven children. It was a struggle as a single parent and widow of the late Revs. James Bryant and Jerry Hall, but she made sure they all completed their advanced degrees at various universities in Florida.
Martha has brought the same passion, focus and determination to local issues within the community over the decades. She has worked tirelessly as a community activist to make sure that neglected communities within Maitland are given proper representation in order to enhance the quality of life there. She is called upon frequently by Maitland residents to help change city laws, get dirt roads paved, provide water meters on private properties, clear lot clean-up fees, provide fence permits and correct safety issues by providing cluster mail boxes in dangerous areas and maintaining fire hydrants and pruning trees. She participated in the Episcopal Diversity Workshop and supported the Kewanee Trail residents for higher quality of life. Martha continues to be a champion for right and doing right by others and her efforts have paid off for many. There is still a lot of work to be done, though, which is why she is running for Council Seat 2.
Besides her long-standing community service work, Martha has long-time church affiliations with the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Maitland; Keep Your Eyes on Jesus, Winter Park; and Prayer Mission Church of God in Christ, Winter Park. She has served as a Quest Bible and Sunday school teacher in neighboring churches. She also serves on the Education Commission Board of both the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd and the Ward Chapel AME church.
She is an active member of the NAACP, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Central Florida Women’s Resource Center, Apopka Coalition to Improve Our Neighborhoods, the McKnight Center of Excellence, and the Seminole County 4H Advisory Committee. She is a volunteer for the March of Dimes and is active with the human relations board of Winter Park. She is a founding member of the American Cancer Society’s Orlando Metro Unit’s Sisters Alive Committee. She was the 2012 recipient of the Honorable U.S. Congresswoman Shirley A. Chisholm Award for community service in the city of Maitland, where she has resided since 1959.
Professionally, she is a Counselor, Parent Educator Project-III, Head Start and Upward Bound-TRIO Program; Instructor, Parent Resource Center and Exceptional Education (K-6); Parental Consultant; Substitute teacher, Orange County School Board; and Work Evaluator, Seminole State College.
Maitland’s citizens would clearly benefit from Martha’s honorable character and proven background in community service. She would be honored to have your vote of support for the City of Maitland Council Seat 2, March 11th.