Marilyn Strickland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marilyn Strickland
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Official portrait, 2021
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 10th district |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Denny Heck |
| 38th Mayor of Tacoma | |
| In office January 5, 2010 – January 2, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Baarsma |
| Succeeded by | Victoria Woodards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 25, 1962 Seoul, South Korea |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Patrick Erwin |
| Education | University of Washington (BA) Clark Atlanta University (MBA) |
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| Website | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
순자
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| RR | Sunja |
| MR | Sunja |
Marilyn Strickland, born on September 25, 1962, is an American politician. She serves as a U.S. representative for Washington's 10th congressional district. This district includes the state capital, Olympia, and parts of Tacoma.
A member of the Democratic Party, Strickland started her term on January 3, 2021. Before this, she was the 38th mayor of Tacoma from 2010 to 2018. She is the first person in the United States Congress to have both Korean and African-American heritage. She is also the first African-American person elected to Congress from Washington state. Strickland is one of the first three Korean-American women elected to Congress. She began her term on the same day as Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Park Steel.
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Early Life and Education
Marilyn Strickland was born in Seoul, South Korea, on September 25, 1962. Her mother, Inmin Kim, was Korean, and her father, Willie Strickland, was an African-American serviceman. In 1967, her family moved to Tacoma, Washington, after her father was stationed at Fort Lewis.
She grew up in Tacoma's South End neighborhood. She went to Mount Tahoma High School. Strickland later earned a business degree from the University of Washington. She also received an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Clark Atlanta University.
Career Journey
After finishing her studies at the University of Washington, Strickland worked at Northern Life Insurance. She did clerical work there. Later, she met Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, who encouraged her to continue her education.
After getting her MBA from Clark Atlanta University, Strickland joined Starbucks. She managed their online business. Then, she helped start Click!, which was Tacoma's public internet and cable service. She worked with an advertising agency to gain public support for it.
Public Service in Tacoma
After working in the private sector for several years, Strickland was elected to the Tacoma City Council. She served as a council member for two years. After that, she was chosen to be the mayor of Tacoma. She served as mayor from 2010 to 2018.
Strickland was the first mayor of Tacoma who was born in Asia. She was also the first African-American woman to hold that office. As mayor, she worked to bring foreign investors to Tacoma. She used her connections in China and Vietnam. This led to Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting Tacoma.
In May 2010, the Tacoma Board of Ethics reviewed a situation where Strickland accepted travel points from a local businessman for an official trip to Asia. She accepted the review and returned the value of the travel points to the businessman.
After her time as mayor, Strickland became the president of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. This group supports businesses. During her time there, she spoke against a proposed tax on large businesses in Seattle. Strickland is often seen as a political moderate or centrist politician.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections for Congress
2020 Election
Strickland left the Chamber of Commerce in early 2020. She announced she would run for Washington's 10th congressional district. This seat was open because the current representative, Denny Heck, was leaving. Many politicians and newspapers supported her.
In the August 4 primary election, Strickland came in first place among 19 candidates. She and the second-place finisher, Democratic State Representative Beth Doglio, moved on to the general election in November. In the November general election, Strickland won against Doglio. She officially took office on January 3, 2021.
As a member of the 117th United States Congress, Strickland is the first Black U.S. Representative from the Pacific Northwest. She is also one of the first three Korean-American Congresswomen, along with Michelle Steel and Young Kim. They all started their terms on the same day. To honor her mother, Strickland wore a traditional hanbok (Korean dress) to her swearing-in ceremony.
Time in Office
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During the 117th United States Congress, Strickland voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time. This information comes from an analysis by FiveThirtyEight.
Committee Work
Marilyn Strickland serves on important committees in the House of Representatives:
- United States House Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
Groups She Belongs To
Strickland is also a member of several groups, called caucuses, in Congress:
- Black Maternal Health Caucus
- Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
- Congressional Black Caucus
- New Democrat Coalition
- Rare Disease Caucus
Personal Life
Marilyn Strickland is a Protestant.
See also
In Spanish: Marilyn Strickland para niños
- List of African-American United States representatives
- List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
- List of foreign-born United States politicians
- List of Korean Americans
- List of mayors of Tacoma, Washington
- List of United States representatives from Washington
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
