LaTosha Brown Cofounder, Black Voters Matter (wikicommons.jpg)
Women and Adversity:
LaTosha Brown
Cofounder:
Black Voters Matter
One of Forbes 50 Over 50
LaTosha Brown understands how to get voters hyped to go to the polls. From the time she was six years old, she accompanied her grandmother to the polls where her grandmother wore her “Sunday best.” Her grandmother emphasized the importance of voting because she had been denied that right for most of her life.
Brown became a community organizer, political strategist and founder of nonprofit organizations. She has concentrated on disaster relief, Black voting rights and funding community development initiatives. In 2016 she cofounded Black Voters Matter with Cliff Albright. The organization concentrates on voter registration by going door-to-door and by providing rides to the polls. As a result, it has influenced several elections. She is named one of Forbes 50 Over 50 and has won several awards. Check out her website for specifics.
Bio:
- 1971 – Born in Selma, Alabama
- Her parents divorced and her mother moved to Mobile, Alabama where she and LaTosha lived with the maternal grandparents
- Attended Selma High School
- Studied political science and government at Auburn University at Montgomery
- Became a mother, left college and took a job at a clothing shop
- 1998 – Ran for Alabama State Board of Education’s fifth district seat. Lost the election, but 800 uncounted ballots were found after the vote was certified. Brown could not afford a lawsuit to challenge the vote.
- 2002 – Ran for Alabama House of Representatives District 67. Lost the election, which she contested citing several irregularities.
- 2004 – Founded TruthSpeaks Consulting in Atlanta, a philanthropy advisory
- 2016 – cofounded Black Voters Matter with Cliff Albright
- 2018 – Founded Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium
- 2020 – Named Hauser Leader at Harvard University’s Center for Public Leadership. Hauser leaders advise students and alumni and enact the Center’s mission “to develop principled, effective public leaders who make positive change in the world.”
- 2023 – Received the Civil Rights Advocacy Award
Personal
- 2022 – Brown’s son passed away December 19. He was 29 years old. No details given. He left behind two sons.
- She is a jazz singer.
Further information:
https://latoshabrown.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5682GgF7nto
https://www.tuko.co.ke/people/family/488280-american-woman-loses-child-left-2-sons-raise-leading
NOTE: The origin of Black History month began in 1915 when Carter G. Woodson came to Chicago to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which probits slavery and involuntary servitude in the U.S. In 1926 Woodson introduced Negro History Week. These events attracted attention over the decades and grew to be important enough for President Gerald Ford in 1976 to recognize Black History month.
My ebooks available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com:
Honoring 23 Black Women, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists
