First black woman commander of VFW Post in South Carolina elected

Jet, August 18, 1997

Margarite Robinson Blakely, a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, recently made history when she became the first Black female in South Carolina to lead a Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post.

Blakely, 49, was elected the new commander of Gandy-Griffin VFW Post 4262 in Columbia, SC. She is a member of the Army Reserve and has been a Licensed Practical Nurse at Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia for the last 27 years.

"It feels wonderful." Blakely said about her history-making election. She said many of the men in the organization had to adjust to a woman in command. "They're getting used to me. It's getting better."

As commander, Blakely oversees the operations of the post, which sponsors several activities such as feeding the elderly, playing bingo with patients at the Veteran's Hospital and hosting a back-to-school picnic.

Blakely, a native of Columbia, has three children and four grandchildren.