CAWP’s Annual Senator Wynona Lipman Chair in Women’s Political Leadership with U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler

The Power of Black Women’s Leadership in Politics
U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler

Appointed to the United States Senate by California Governor Gavin Newsome, Senator Laphonza Butler has spent her career championing fairness and justice. For nearly two decades, she was an organizer and leader in the labor movement. At just 30 years old Senator Butler was elected president of California’s largest homecare and nursing home workers union SEIU local 2015. She helped to orchestrate raising California’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and secure paid sick days for the state’s home care workers. As president, she united the power of home care workers statewide, growing the union’s membership to more than 325,000 and making SEIU 2015 the largest homecare worker union in America. From working to expand retirement security by passing CA Secure Choice Retirement Savings program, to efforts to improve health outcomes by passing legislation to protect children from cigarette marketing, Butler has been able to work across traditional lines of difference in order to make progress on issues that matter. Prior to her appointment to the Senate, Senator Butler was president of EMILYs list, which is dedicated to electing Democratic pro-choice women. During her tenure, EMILYs list recruited and supported over 600 women to run for elected office.

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