Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren has had a successful career thus far in politics. The roles she has held include assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury. In 2012 she was elected to the U.S. senate for the state of Massachusetts.

She was born in Oklahoma and won a scholarship to George Washington University as a result of her role in her high school debate team. She then moved to Houston where she earned a Bachelor of Science in speech pathology and audiology. Following the birth of her first child she began attending Rutgers School of Law. After her graduation she began working from home, then went on to teach law at a number of universities around the United States.

Her political career started later in her life; in 2008 she was chosen by Harry Reid to chair the Congressional Oversight Committee. One of the things that the committee demanded was more accountability from banks. Her hard work was rewarded in 2009 when she was named Bostonian of the Year by the Boston Globe. The following year President Obama selected her for the role of Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In 2012 she made history when she became the first woman elected to the U.S. senate from the state of Massachusetts. Her first role was to be a part of the Senate Banking Committee. In 2014, Warren was chosen to fill the newly created position of Strategic Advisor of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, tasked with reshaping the party’s direction and priorities. There were rumours that she would run for President in 2016 but she announced that she would not be a part of the Democratic Party nomination process. She did have a key role in the election process, giving the keynote address on the first night of the Democratic Convention in 2016. She was only the third woman to ever be chosen for this.

She has been a vocal opponent of the 45th President. Earlier this week Elizabeth made news internationally when she stood up in the U.S. senate. While the nomination of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General was being debated she read a letter written by Coretta Scott King over thirty years ago. It was a letter that the widow of Martin Luther King Jr. wrote opposing Sessions’ nomination for a federal judgement. While she was reading the letter she was silenced by Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. She will now no longer be allowed to speak during his nomination process. This caused both national and international outrage. To see a successful female politician silenced by a group of male politicians while reading a letter from a civil rights leader led to the the hashtags #LetLizSpeak and #ShePersists trending online. It became a new rallying call for the women who were a part of the Women’s March a few weeks ago.

-Michelle O’Brien
Junior Girl
Girl Museum Inc.

Pin It on Pinterest