Elizabeth Mitchell

First African-American female postal worker in Bloomington On Dec. 1, 1979, Elizabeth Mitchell started working at the Bloomington Post Office. She was the first female African American to do so. Born in Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Mitchell moved to Indianapolis and attended Arlington High School. After graduating from Ball State University, she joined the postal service in Indianapolis. When her husband, James Mitchell, accepted a position at Indiana State Police Post 33, the two relocated to Bloomington. Her presence as an African-American woman unsettled many coworkers at the post office. They often refused to help her unload trucks and commonly referred to her with racial slurs. Mitchell was aware of the responsibility that comes with being the first and resolved to be tough, striving to set an honorable example for others. Today Elizabeth and her husband Jim still live in Bloomington. Elizabeth spends her days striving to uncover and share the history of the African American community in Bloomington and Indiana. She is a founding member of Resilience Productions who research, write, produce and direct original plays that share the history of the Bloomington and Monroe County African American community. In their spare time, she and Jim travel all around the world.