Gloria Bromell Tinubu facts for kids

Gloria Bromell Tinubu, born on February 22, 1953, is an expert in economics, a teacher, and a politician. She worked on the Atlanta City Council and was part of the Georgia State Assembly. She also ran for mayor of Atlanta and for Congress in South Carolina.

Early Life and School Days

Gloria Bromell Tinubu was born in Brookgreen Gardens, Georgetown County, South Carolina. This area is close to Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. She was the seventh of eight children. Her parents, Beatrice and Charlie Bromell, wanted all their children to finish high school.

When Gloria was four, her family moved to Plantersville. This was her parents' hometown in Georgetown County, South Carolina. She graduated from Choppee High School in 1971. She was the second-highest-ranking student and president of her class.

Gloria was the first in her family to go to college. She started at the University of South Carolina as a Herbert Lehman Scholar. Later, she moved to Howard University. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts with honors in 1974.

Family Life

In 1976, Gloria married Soji Tinubu. He was born in Nigeria but became a U.S. citizen. Soji has a master's degree in civil engineering from Clemson University. Gloria and Soji have four children and six grandchildren.

Her Work in Academia

Gloria Bromell Tinubu decided to continue her studies after college. She became the first African-American woman to earn a Master of Science (MS) degree in Agricultural Economics from Clemson University. This was in December 1977.

Her master's project looked at problems with "heirs property." This is land where ownership is unclear because it's passed down through generations without proper legal documents. Her study was the first to officially document this problem in South Carolina. Her findings were shared in a magazine and with the South Carolina Legislature.

Gloria continued her studies at Clemson. In August 1986, she became the first African-American student there to earn a Ph.D. in Applied Economics. Her Ph.D. research focused on how financially stable South Carolina's public water systems were.

She started her teaching career in 1986. She was an assistant professor of economics at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. By 1992, she became the head of the economics department and a tenured associate professor. Later, she taught at Coastal Carolina University in Conway.

From 2001 to 2004, she started and led the Atlanta Cooperative Development Corporation. This group helped create cooperative businesses and organizations. From 2004 to 2006, Gloria Bromell Tinubu was the president of Barber–Scotia College. This is a historically black college in North Carolina.

Her Political Career

Gloria Bromell Tinubu began her political journey in Georgia. In 1993, she was elected to the Atlanta City Council for a four-year term. In 2000, Governor Roy Barnes appointed her to the Georgia Board of Education.

Later, she was elected as a Democrat to the Georgia General Assembly. She worked on committees related to government relations, cooperation between states, and creating small businesses and jobs. She also ran for mayor of Atlanta in 1997 and 2001.

In 2016, she supported Bernie Sanders for president early on. She was part of the Women for Bernie discussions and led the SC Women for Bernie group. In 2019, she supported Marianne Williamson for president. She worked as a senior advisor for Williamson's campaign in South Carolina.

In 2021, she helped write a book called The Georgia Way: How to Win Elections.

Running for Congress in 2012

After moving back to South Carolina, Gloria Bromell Tinubu entered state politics. In 2012, she ran for Congress as a Democrat. She aimed to represent the new 7th congressional district.

She won the Democratic primary election for the district seat with 73% of the votes. This made her the first African-American woman in South Carolina to win her party's nomination for Congress. She then won a runoff election with 73% of the vote.

However, Gloria Bromell Tinubu lost the main election to Republican Tom Rice. He received 56% of the votes, while she received 44%.

Running for Congress in 2014

In 2014, she ran against Tom Rice again for the same congressional seat. This time, she lost by a larger margin. Rice won with 60% of the votes, and Bromell Tinubu received 40%.

Running for Governor in 2018

In 2018, Gloria Bromell Tinubu was chosen by Democratic candidate Phil Noble to be his running mate for lieutenant governor. However, James Smith ultimately won the Democratic nomination for governor.

Running for Senate in 2020

In May 2019, Tinubu announced she would run for the United States Senate. She planned to challenge the Republican senator, Lindsey Graham. Her campaign focused on "Reshaping America: Economic Justice Tour." She was competing for the Democratic nomination against Jaime Harrison. In January 2020, Tinubu decided to leave the race and supported Harrison instead.