Rep. William L. Mallory “Bill Mallory truly was one of the lions of the Democratic Party. He knew instinctively that all politics is local.” —Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party
Since their inception, the UMADAOPs of Ohio have grown to become a vital force in meeting the substance abuse education, prevention, and treatment needs of African and Hispanic Americans throughout the state of Ohio, and a model for the nation. The original programs were called The Urban Minority Alcoholism Outreach Programs (UMAOP) and operated under the guidance of implementing agencies. The name was later changed to the Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program. The eight original programs were located in Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Cleveland Hispanic, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown. Through the years, other programs were added.
A vital force William Leslie Mallory, Sr. (October 4, 1931 – December 10, 2013) was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966 and served for 28 years in the Ohio legislature. In 1974 he won election as Majority Floor Leader, the first African American to serve in that role. When he retired in 1994, he was the longest serving majority leader in the history of Ohio. Rep. Mallory grew up in a poor family in Cincinnati’s West End, and his interest in politics began when he was only 12. Despite being a high school dropout, Mallory later graduated from East Vocational High School and entered Central State University in 1951. Following his graduation from Central State, Rep. Mallory worked as a unit leader for the juvenile court, a case worker for the Hamilton County Welfare Department and a highway inspector. He also taught elementary school for eight years in the Cincinnati Public Schools. His political career began in 1965 when he ran for president of the West End Community Council and won. In November 1966, he won election to the Ohio House. Eight years later, he was elected Majority Floor Leader, the first African-American to hold that position. He retired in 1994, as the longest serving majority leader in Ohio’s history and the longest-serving Ohio representative from Hamilton County.
Legendary Advocate During his 28 years in the Ohio House of Representatives, Rep. William L. Mallory sponsored or co-sponsored more than 600 pieces of legislation. One of the most significant was the bill he authored and co-sponsored creating Ohio’s first state-wide drug prevention program, the Urban Minority Alcoholism Drug Abuse Outreach Program (UMADAOP).
A lasting legacy After Rep. Mallory’s passing in 2013, Tim Burke, chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party, said that “he changed the color of justice in Hamilton County. Bill Mallory truly was one of the lions of the Democratic Party. He knew instinctively that all politics are local. He would walk the streets of the city from the family home on Dayton Street to downtown, always stopping to talk to people and listening to what they had to say,’’ Burke says. “He knew that good politics was the art of the possible and the science of compromise.” Jessica Horne, executive director of the Cleveland UMADAOP, says, “Rep. Mallory was a quintessential man. He was as close to the embodiment of a perfect public servant as you could get. He loved being with his constituents on the streets, at the corner eateries, barbershops, clubs and churches. He enjoyed talking, eating, dancing and sharing with them. He gave all of himself to being a diligent servant of the people and if those he mentored follow his lead, the community will be well-represented and served, long into the future.” In late January, Lima UMADAOP plans to open its first supportive recovery home for women and children. The Mallory Home for Women and Children will be named for the late Rep. Mallory, according to Myrtle Lighton, Lima UMADAOP’s executive director. “It’s another way to say thanks for what he did.”
minority community. The Urban Minority Alcoholism Drug Abuse Outreach Programs of Ohio (UMADAOPs of Ohio) were established in 1980 via legislation spearheaded by Mallory and other pioneers such as State Sen. William Bowen; State Sen. Ray Miller, Jr.; Jacqueline Butler; Don Turner, a Vice President of the Volunteer Resource Division of the Cincinnati Community Chest; and Jewell Neely of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. The bill provided $200,000 to establish the state UMADAOP network .
Responding To Need Back in the late 1970’s, Rep. Mallory had been informed by a group of substance abuse treatment professionals that existing treatment programs were not meeting the culturally specific needs of African Americans, as evidenced by a high percentage of minority clients leaving programs early without having completed treatment. University of Cincinnati Prof. Jacqueline P. Butler, a longtime advocate for under-served populations, shared with Mallory and others that state funds might be available to fund a substance abuse service delivery system specifically targeting Ohio’s
8
9
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker