Our History, Black History: Donna Brazile

There is an old adage that says, “You never know where you are going unless you know where you have been.” In the spirit of Black history month, the Monroe Dispatch will highlight stories and the history of Blacks that are not commonly known. Donna Brazile was born December 14, 1959, in New Orleans, LA. She was the outspoken child of her family who was never afraid to be in charge and fight for things she believed. Her political aspirations began when she was in grade school. Growing up, she was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts which inspired her desire to become a civil rights worker. She enjoyed making things happen and worked with a local politician to build a playground in her community. She attended Louisiana State University (LSU), receiving a psychology degree. She went on to become a fellow at the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. After graduating, she went right to work with advocacy groups who worked to successfully get MLK's birthday recognized as a federal holiday. She has worked on every Democratic presidential campaign starting from 1976 up to 2000, including Jimmy Carter, Jesse Jackson, Bill Clinton. In 2000 she became the first African-American to manage a major political party's presidential campaign when she ran Al Gore's presidential campaign.

In 2000 she was appointed as the chair of the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) Voting Rights Institute. 12 years later, she became interim chair of the DNC. In addition to her experience serving as a political leader and strategist, she has also served as a professor at many universities, writes for several national publications, and often works as a political contributor for many broadcast news services. She has also published two other books, Cooking with Grease (a memoir) and Hacks, the Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House. In 2018 she published a book with her friends and colleagues, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics, aiming to encourage women to pursue careers in politics, take charge, and believe in themselves.