Profiles article index >> Eleanor Jordan –Legislative Crusader Her mission: To help make Congress a place that works for all people and to show those most often left out, disenfranchised and locked out that they have the power to make Congress work for all people. A divorced mother of three sons, she relied on food stamps and welfare briefly after giving birth to her first son when she was just 18. She overcame the challenges of teen motherhood to successfully manage child development centers. "When I was a young girl, I visited the Kentucky state capitol on a field trip. Looking down from the gallery, I realized there was nobody that looked like me at the decision making table. Twenty years later, I began working to protect historic housing in my neighborhood. A number of my neighbors and I took a trip to the state house to testify before a House Committee and still, there was nobody like me. So that's when I decided I needed to be sitting at that decision making table." She first became involved in community organizing when she went door-to-door to speak to neighbors about protecting historic sites, and preserve buildings to strengthen the community. As the director of the Iroquois Childcare Center, she obtained a grant of $450,000 to expand the program. She then became the only Black woman State Representative in the General Assembly of Kentucky, where she teamed up with Sen. Mary Lou Marzian to pass comprehensive women's health legislation, "my proudest moment in the General Assembly." She is now running for Congress and intends to become the first Black member of Congress from Kentucky. why it matters: "If we don't elect people to sit at the decision making table who will speak up for all people, then goverment doesn't work -- I truly believe that it should be of, by and for the people." "My mother worked as a maid, right alongside a male janitor. They did the exact same work, but he was paid much more. When I had a chance to vote in the House Labor and Industry Committee to guarantee that Kentucky men and women receive equal pay for equal work, I cast my vote for Mama." Join the mission: Take your place at the decision making table! Learn who your representatives are, and make sure they've earned your vote. Or, better yet, run yourself. http://befearless.oxygen.com Profiles article index >> News I Health I Wellness I Exercise I Profiles I Business I Links I Women ROCK! Product Review I To the Point I Contact I Home Created by: Art Street Design Studio. © Concerning Women Communications, Inc. all rights reserved.