Behind Every Great Country, There is an Even Stronger Black Woman
“Exploring Government through the legislative seats of Black Women”
By Betti Halsell
Thinking about the characteristics of a person in government, one would paint a picture of a male, white, and middle-aged. That’s what the majority has seen in electoral seats, especially those who do not follow politics and rely on what the news/media represents.
This encourages the next generation of young white males to be inspired and pursue what they see as a reachable career, because they have seen people like them, already made it a profession, and they see that route works.
The only non-white mainstream political figure that was seen before the Obama era was Condoleeza Rice, for someone who did not follow politics at all, she was the only political figure seen as a Black woman in Government.
This needs to change. Future young black girls need to see that government is an option for them as well. They need to feel inspired by seeing an amazing black woman in a position of authority, leading roles, and making policies.
Here are some (not all) phenomenal Black women in government, creating social justice and looking good while doing it. These are by definition, strong Black women that represent this country and the City of Los Angeles. To dive into who these women are, Author Melissa V. Harris describes a strong black woman as “One that confronts trials and tribulations, She is the source of unlimited support for her family and her people. She is sacrificial and smart. She has an irrepressible spirit that is unbroken by a legacy of oppression, poverty, and rejection.”
Attorney Capri Maddox
Capri Maddox is making history in Los Angeles. As the first executive director of the newly developed Civil and Human Rights Department, she is leading the change for underserved communities. The mission behind the Civil and Human Rights Department is “Protecting Angelenos and anyone who works or visits the City of Los Angeles from discrimination that denies equal treatment in private employment, housing, education, or commerce.” The disparities found in any community will be faced head on, with investigation and enforcement of the L.A. Civil and Human Rights Ordinance.
Speaking with Attorney Maddox on current issues, she stated, “The movie, “Inconvenient Truth” was a warning about climate change, and said if we didn’t change our ways and deal with the environmental imbalances, we would have more storms, and they would happen more frequently, in various places and they will be more intense. And that is the same thing that we are experiencing in the African American [community] – inconvenient truth.”
Chairwoman Karen Bass
Karen Bass represents the 37th Congressional District, Congressmember Bass serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where she is the Chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. Additionally, she is the member of the House Judiciary Committee, Congressmember Bass is also creating balanced criminal justice reforms as well as protecting intellectual property right infringements. Bass also serves as the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
She has been leading the change on conversations around police reform on capitol hill. Piloting the George Floyd Policing in Justice Act, Bass is dedicating her life’s energy in seeing real change within the platform of public safety.
Senator Holly Mitchell
I first saw Senator Mitchell at the “Justice Matters” Conference, as a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus, she brought focus to the 2020 legislative package that is going forth. This includes bills labeled ACA-6 bringing voting rights to those serving parole, ACA-5 affirmative action that will be beneficial economically, to prioritize underserved communities, and AB-31-21 that will cover the feasibility of reparations in California.
Sen. Mitchell has led Crystal Stairs, California’s largest child and family development organization. She worked for the Western Center for Law and Poverty. Mitchelle brought those selfless values on how to improve the needs of underserved communities, that were not being addressed by state or local governments.
Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager
Sydney represents the 54th Assembly District, encompassing Baldwin Hills, the Crenshaw community, all of Culver City, Ladera Heights, Leimert Park, Mar Vista, Mid-City Los Angeles, Palms, Pico-Union, Westwood and Windsor Hills. She was also at the Justice Matters conference and stated an ugly truth,“Our Survival is dependent on staying awake and staying vigilant even in times of uncomfortableness.”
“Kamlager guided six of her eight bills to the Governor’s desk, all of which were signed into law. Most notable among them were Assembly Bill 241 and Assembly Bill 242, incorporating implicit bias training into continued education for healthcare professionals, lawyers and judges, respectively.”
Brenda Shockley
Brenda sits as Deputy Mayor of Economic Opportunity & Chief Equity Officer for the City L.A. Shockley had 20 years experience as President of Community Build, she helped the revitalization of South L.A. in response to the civil unrest of 1992. Work she has done as Deputy Mayor for Economic Opportunity included overseeing Mayor Garcetti Administration’s initiatives around the minimum wage, free community college, reentry, housing, and a host of key issues.
