African-American woman breaks barriers, makes history in Oktibbeha Co.
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – 10 years in Lowndes County and 14 years in Starkville as Deputy Clerk, JoHelen Walker made history in Oktibbeha County as the first African American Tax Assessor and Collector in the county.
Walker wants to see new people and new ideas in Oktibbeha County.
“There were so many things that I thought about in this situation. In this generation, that we live in, I’m always complaining about ‘be the change that you want to see.’ So, that’s what I did. I made the change. I made the decision. And I did the work that needed to be done. And I got out there and I made the change,” said Walker.
Walker’s seen the community’s issues for over two decades.
“The college kids, the other people, the middle-aged people, they come in with no idea what to do. No idea what’s going on. There have been several times when I’ve gotten on the phone with citizens of Oktibbeha County because they didn’t know the questions to ask. They didn’t know where to do, what to do,” said Walker.
She said people have to know what the problem is before she can offer a solution.
“What I do is I explain to people what is going on when they’re in front of me. If they’re complaining about anything, and sometimes it’s not even a tax office business. And I’m like ‘Hey, tell me how you got here. Why do you feel this way? We need to find a way to find a solution,'” said Walker.
Walker has also gone over and beyond for the people.
“There were a couple of times that you know I got on the phone, and I’m like ‘Hey I don’t mind helping this customer drive this car back, so we need to get this information done so we can move forward,'” said Walker.
Walker’s advice to young leaders who want to break barriers as she did: know your purpose.
“I see a lot of time people give up. You know they’ll give up so quick, get mad, ‘Well, I don’t want to do it, I don’t wanna do it.’ No. You’re here. You’re here for a reason,” said Walker.
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