Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, now in her fourteenth term as the Congresswoman for the District of Columbia, has always been passionate about ending racial discrimination. She often speaks out about how her upbringing in the District encouraged her to be politically active.
She is the daughter of Coleman (a civil servant) and Vela (Lynch) Holmes (a school teacher), who encouraged her in her academic pursuits. Norton attended Albion College and then got her Masters and Law degree at Yale University.
While in law school, Norton traveled down to Mississippi. She attended the Mississippi Freedom Summer and worked alongside civil rights activists, including Medgar Evers.
Norton was also on the founding advisory board of the Women’s Rights Law Reporter, which is the first legal periodical in the United States to focus exclusively on women’s rights law. As Chairman of the New York Human Rights Commission (1970–7), Norton was the driving force behind the landmark sex discrimination suit at Newsweek.
As the only Congressperson representing D.C.’s, Norton lobbies for District statehood and argues her right to vote on legislation.
She speaks the truth. She once said, “there are not many males, black or white, who wish to get involved with a woman who’s committed to her own development.” Finally, she makes terrible parking jobs charming. For all the details, click on the hyperlink!