Macon Magazine

April/May 2025 | maconmagazine.com 93 on local TV news. "It was a chance to lift them up and let them shine," she added. Her desire to help students excel continued as a school board member and carried over into her tenure as the board's president. Dillard stayed close to their progress by attending graduation ceremonies. "Children need support. I wanted them to feel good about themselves," she said. When asked what she would change in today's school system, she expressed a desire for more parental involvement, less absenteeism, greater support for teachers, and more students in their classroom seats on time each day. F R O M C I T I Z E N D I L L A R D T O C I V I L S E R VA N T The foundation for breaking down barriers was laid for Dillard as a child advocate for the NAACP. A high priority at the time was getting people registered to vote before the Voting Rights Act of 1965. "This is where the power was. I wanted to make that work. I felt like voting was the key," she said. Dillard's work with the NAACP is legendary. She was its Macon president and vice president for 20 years and served as assistant secretary for the state chapter. In 2002 the NAACP and 21st Century Women honored her as the 21st Harriet Tubman for a lifetime of fighting for justice, equality, and freedom for African Americans. The system of success, according to Dillard, is rooted in the "Three B's": "Power and equity are rooted in the ballot, the book, and the buck. These three have the capacity to lift our community. The NAACP taught me this, and it's been a way of life ever since." Eloquent, articulate, stately, and fiercely independent, Dillard credits her mother's lessons and her own desire to be the best version of herself. She has been involved in several causes like CAUTION Macon – a citizen group committed to putting the brakes on unnecessary street widening and excessive property acquisitions from citizens. While on city council, her accomplishments included securing a swimming pool at the Booker T. Washington Center and parks named after civic and social activists Ozzie Belle McKay and Gussie Dandy. Politics is fraught with moments that test the mettle of those who choose to be civil servants. Dillard was willing to work with any council member or school board member who was willing to work with her. "I never thought I'd get close to certain people. There were many instances when I was on "Our fight against injustice was a family affair. There was no discouraging any of us. We were always encouraging each other to be involved." LEFT VetOtaquia et officabor maio ipsunto tatiunt ea et volore doluptat. Serovit ellupta tectiosam inctur? Nus eos doloreseque dusae si sequat et qui aruntiae always encouraging each other to be involved." When asked about working together to do what was right during that time, Bert added, "It's a more personal attachment when it's a sibling, because of the relationship. It was a shared experience with the community in mind first. It was never about 'me' or 'I.' It was about the community." As an observer and participant in the Civil Rights struggle at a tender age, Dillard continued her involvement as a teenager. She assisted Robert Byas with coordinating transportation for bus boycotts in Macon during the '60s. William P. Randall, the boycott organizer, discovered her ability to type and asked her to take minutes during executive meetings on Civil Rights. Dillard also worked with Rev. Van J. Malone and attorney Thomas Jackson, among others. The Fort Valley State University and Nova Southeastern University graduate later worked on campaigns of politicians, congressmen, state representatives, a sheriff, and mayors. In time, Dillard decided to make a difference more directly and, in 1979, ran for Macon City Council, where she served for 20 years. Later, she was elected to the District 2 seat for the Bibb County Board of Education. R E A C H I N G T H R O U G H T E A C H I N G It seems Dillard was tailor-made to teach. Education was at the center of her and her siblings' universe as children because of the emphasis Bivins placed on being well-read and knowledgeable. That motherly mission, along with Dillard's desire to help youth, launched a 56-year career in education. She spent 44 years in the classroom and 12 years on the Bibb County school board before retiring in December. Dillard retired initially from teaching in 2011, but came back to serve a leadership role. She loved both capacities, she says, but helping students directly as a teacher left the most indelible mark on her. Her first classroom job was teaching computer coding in 1966 at Macon Technical School, now known as Central Georgia Technical College. Even without transportation, Dillard went the extra mile for her students. After teaching during the day, she would walk back to Macon Tech from her nearby home along Anthony Road to assist students with math, typing, and accounting. Many of them would go on to become Warner Robins Air Force Base civilian employees. "I loved my students. They were eager to learn, and I was eager to teach them," she said with a big smile. Dillard also worked with what the system referred to then as "slow learners" as a business education instructor at Central High School, in the program for exceptional children. But she never saw them that way and, over time, developed programs and methods that had them reading editorial comments

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