As a long-time educator and trailblazing community activist, Margaret Blake Roach dedicated her adult life to making a difference in Broward.
Margaret was a former teacher who for more than two decades worked as an administrator for Broward County Public Schools. She helped guide our schools through the turbulent period of desegregation. And beyond the classroom, she championed new opportunities for African Americans in our community.
Margaret became the first president of Broward’s Urban League. She was the first woman and first African American to serve on the Broward Community College Board of Trustees. Margaret also served as the first president of Fort Lauderdale chapter of The Links, an organization that supports professional women of color. And she helped launch the Florida Council on Human Relations.
But Margaret’s BOLD impact goes further than her pioneering list of firsts. Whether it was volunteering for local organizations, helping former students hunt for college scholarships or pushing to create an arts magnet program at Dillard High School, Margaret was known for tirelessly working behind-the-scenes to shape a better future for the community she loved.
Even after Margaret died in 1999, her legacy as an advocate for education and new opportunities is still going strong thanks to an endowed charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Broward.
The Margaret and Cato Roach Tribute Fund is named for Margaret and her second husband, Cato Roach, former president of the Florida State Teachers Association. Grants from their Fund support programs to lift up middle school students from minority communities who are struggling in the classroom. For example, support from Margaret and Cato’s Fund helps fuel a groundbreaking program to reimagine middle school education by providing a boost to students falling behind in the classroom.
The Community Foundation is proud to carry on Margaret’s mission to break down barriers and create opportunities for achievement in Broward.
To contact the Community Foundation of Broward, call 954-761-9503 or email info@cfbroward.org.
