Rev. Dr. Mattie Hall Mobley, now 110-years-old, who was born on February 4, 1914, in Tallahassee, was not always an outspoken activist. The quiet cosmetologist spent most of her time sitting in pews at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, rather than protesting in the streets. But when the Tallahassee Bus Boycott of 1956 began, Mobley jumped right on board. “The issue was bigger,” she says. “We were trying to integrate and get our children into better schools and for us to have better jobs.”
She helped raise money by modeling in fundraising events. The proceeds helped transport protestors to and from work. “I remember Harry Belafonte came, and I was happy to see the boycott happen here in Tallahassee,” said Mobley. “We were trying to get equal rights, and they supported us.” Mobley also made many personal sacrifices to support the civil rights movement. When she became pregnant with the last of her three children, she stopped modeling and began donating her own money to the cause. “I couldn’t march, so I gave about $20 or $25 a week for the carpool,” she said. Mobley has said it was during the time of the boycott that she became involved with the NAACP. She has served the organization as chairwoman of the Women in NAACP (WIN) organization, which held numerous luncheons honoring the Rev. C.K. Steele, in efforts to raise scholarship funds for deserving students. Though the boycott jumpstarted Mobley’s involvement and inspired her to remain active in the NAACP, she has also contributed to the struggle in other ways.
She is a founder and past president of the Capital City Garden Club, located on Tram Road, which was recently listed in the local register of historic places. Throughout her lifetime she has worn many hats and has always worked two jobs. Friends know this woman with a larger-than-life personality, to be a person of integrity, a hard worker, and always driven. A beautician by profession, there were several beauty and barbershops in the Allen Subdivision and Bond Subdivision communities. Mattie Mobley moved to Allen Subdivision in 1939 and became a master cosmetologist and owner of Mobley’s Beauty Shop, which was a home-based business located on Harrison Street in the shadow of FAMU. Mobley’s family provided housing to FAMU students. Mobley often says that all the children in the neighborhood were her children.” Moreover, “she says that forty years in the neighborhood as a beautician were special to her because she had the honor of meeting many people throughout the years. At age 110, Mrs. Mobley is one of the most active residents in her assisted living facility. She is looking forward to celebrating her 111th birthday on February 4, 2025, with her three children, other family and very close friends. Mrs. Mobley knows that she is blessed and highly favored.