Eleanor Holmes Norton (b.1937) is an American politician, lawyer, and civil rights activist known for advocating voting rights, gender equality, and racial justice. She has served as Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives for the District of Columbia since 1991.
Born in Washington, D.C., Norton attended Dunbar High School, then Antioch College (B.A., 1960) and Yale University (M.A., 1963; L.L.B., 1964.) She joined the civil rights movement, working with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and participating in sit-ins and protests.
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her as the first female chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC,) where she strengthened anti-discrimination policies. She later became a tenured law professor at Georgetown University before entering Congress.
Norton authored For Sadie and Maud (1970,) a contribution to Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From The Women’s Liberation Movement, and Race, Sex, and the Equal Rights Amendment (1979,) discussing gender and racial equality.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Eleanor Holmes Norton
The only way to make sure people you agree with can speak is to support the rights of people you don’t agree with.
—Eleanor Holmes Norton
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