Sensei Aishitemasu | Hidden Figures: Yvonne Brathwaite Burke #BlackHERstoryMonth 26/28 @SenseiAishitemasu | Uploaded February 2021 | Updated October 2024, 1 hour ago.
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Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (born October 5, 1932) was the first Black American woman elected to the California legislature, the first Black American woman elected to represent California in Congress, and the first Black American woman to serve as Chair of the Los Angeles County Supervisors. In 1973, she became the first member of Congress to give birth while in office, and the first to be granted maternity leave. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Amtrak, a position she has held since 2012.
Born and raised in L.A., Burke was sent to a private school for exceptional children where she endured racial taunts as the only Black student. She received a Bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA in 1953, and earned a law degree from USC Law School in 1956 as one of the first Black women to be admitted. Upon graduating, she found that no law firms would hire a Black American woman, and so she opened her own private practice. Burke played a key role in organizing the legal defense team for those charged in the Watts Riots of 1965, and was appointed by the governor of California to investigate the societal causes of the unrest.
She was elected to the California State Assembly in 1966, and would serve until 1972, focusing on prison reform, the poor, childcare, equal opportunities for minorities and women, and education. Burke criticized the slow pace at which legislature moved through the assembly, however, and in 1972, she left in order to serve the U.S. House of Representatives. This made her the first Black American woman elected to represent California in Congress.
Burke served as Vice-Chairperson of the 1972 Democratic National Convention, and was also the first Black American to hold that position. As the vice chair, she helped to pass revised rules that gave minorities and young voters a greater voice in shaping party policy. During her tenure in Congress, she served on several powerful committees, including the House Select Committee on Assassinations and the House Committee on Appropriations, where she introduced legislature for additional federal funding of community nutrition programs. She also introduced numerous bills for the well being of women and children, including a bill to prohibit pregnancy-related discrimination in the workplace.
Burke made national headlines as a freshman Congress member when she announced that she was pregnant in 1973. With the birth of her daughter, Burke became the first member of Congress to give birth while in office, and the first to be granted maternity leave by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1979, she left Congress and was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of California. She resigned from that role later that year to fill a vacancy on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Burke was the first female and first Black American supervisor, but in 1980, she was defeated in a bid for re-election. She returned to private law practice until 1992, when she ran for a District 2 seat on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and won, becoming the first Black American to win outright election as an L.A. County supervisor. One year later, she became the first Black American female to serve as chairperson of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 1993. She remained an L.A. County Supervisor until retiring in 2008, and has received several awards and accolades, including the UCLA Alumni Award for Professional Achievement and being named Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times.
#HiddenFigures #YvonneBrathwaiteBurke
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Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture'
Paperback: amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6
Kindle: amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6
Digital download (e-book): gumroad.com/l/IkUa
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Links:
BURKE, Yvonne Brathwaite:
history.house.gov/People/Listing/B/BURKE,-Yvonne-Brathwaite-(B001102)
The Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke:
history.house.gov/Oral-History/Women/Representative-Burke
Black History Month Spotlight: Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, California’s First Black Congresswoman:
lamag.com/culturefiles/black-history-month-spotlight-yvonne-braithwaite-burke
YVONNE BRAITHWAITE BURKE (1932- ):
blackpast.org/african-american-history/burke-yvonne-braithwaite-1932
If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: patreon.com/seren_sensei
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (born October 5, 1932) was the first Black American woman elected to the California legislature, the first Black American woman elected to represent California in Congress, and the first Black American woman to serve as Chair of the Los Angeles County Supervisors. In 1973, she became the first member of Congress to give birth while in office, and the first to be granted maternity leave. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Amtrak, a position she has held since 2012.
Born and raised in L.A., Burke was sent to a private school for exceptional children where she endured racial taunts as the only Black student. She received a Bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA in 1953, and earned a law degree from USC Law School in 1956 as one of the first Black women to be admitted. Upon graduating, she found that no law firms would hire a Black American woman, and so she opened her own private practice. Burke played a key role in organizing the legal defense team for those charged in the Watts Riots of 1965, and was appointed by the governor of California to investigate the societal causes of the unrest.
She was elected to the California State Assembly in 1966, and would serve until 1972, focusing on prison reform, the poor, childcare, equal opportunities for minorities and women, and education. Burke criticized the slow pace at which legislature moved through the assembly, however, and in 1972, she left in order to serve the U.S. House of Representatives. This made her the first Black American woman elected to represent California in Congress.
Burke served as Vice-Chairperson of the 1972 Democratic National Convention, and was also the first Black American to hold that position. As the vice chair, she helped to pass revised rules that gave minorities and young voters a greater voice in shaping party policy. During her tenure in Congress, she served on several powerful committees, including the House Select Committee on Assassinations and the House Committee on Appropriations, where she introduced legislature for additional federal funding of community nutrition programs. She also introduced numerous bills for the well being of women and children, including a bill to prohibit pregnancy-related discrimination in the workplace.
Burke made national headlines as a freshman Congress member when she announced that she was pregnant in 1973. With the birth of her daughter, Burke became the first member of Congress to give birth while in office, and the first to be granted maternity leave by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In 1979, she left Congress and was appointed to the Board of Regents of the University of California. She resigned from that role later that year to fill a vacancy on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Burke was the first female and first Black American supervisor, but in 1980, she was defeated in a bid for re-election. She returned to private law practice until 1992, when she ran for a District 2 seat on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors and won, becoming the first Black American to win outright election as an L.A. County supervisor. One year later, she became the first Black American female to serve as chairperson of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors in 1993. She remained an L.A. County Supervisor until retiring in 2008, and has received several awards and accolades, including the UCLA Alumni Award for Professional Achievement and being named Woman of the Year by the Los Angeles Times.
#HiddenFigures #YvonneBrathwaiteBurke
******************
Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! teepublic.com/user/sssseren
shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans
shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s
Follow me on social media!
Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu
Personal Tumblr: sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com
Tumblr for my work: sssseren.tumblr.com
GoFundMe: gofundme.com/tc5wh7q
******************
Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture'
Paperback: amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6
Kindle: amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6
Digital download (e-book): gumroad.com/l/IkUa
******************
Links:
BURKE, Yvonne Brathwaite:
history.house.gov/People/Listing/B/BURKE,-Yvonne-Brathwaite-(B001102)
The Honorable Yvonne Brathwaite Burke:
history.house.gov/Oral-History/Women/Representative-Burke
Black History Month Spotlight: Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, California’s First Black Congresswoman:
lamag.com/culturefiles/black-history-month-spotlight-yvonne-braithwaite-burke
YVONNE BRAITHWAITE BURKE (1932- ):
blackpast.org/african-american-history/burke-yvonne-braithwaite-1932
