Marquita Bradshaw facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marquita Bradshaw
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Bradshaw in Morristown, Tennessee, 2020
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| Personal details | |
| Born | January 19, 1974 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relations | John DeBerry (uncle) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of Memphis (BLS) |
Marquita Bradshaw was born on January 19, 1974. She is an American environmentalist, which means she works to protect nature. She is also an activist, someone who works for social change, and a political candidate.
In 2020, she was chosen by the Democratic Party to run for the United States Senate in Tennessee. She made history as the first African American woman to win a major political party's nomination for any statewide election in Tennessee. However, she did not win the main election against Republican Bill Hagerty.
After the 2020 election, Marquita Bradshaw started an organization called Sowing Justice. This group works on environmental issues and encourages people to get involved in politics. She also ran for the Senate again in 2024 but lost in the Democratic primary election to Gloria Johnson.
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Early Life and Education
Marquita Bradshaw grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. When she was a child, her family was very involved in helping their community. They worked to raise awareness about pollution from a nearby military base called the Memphis Defense Depot. This base had chemicals leaking from it.
The area around the base became a "Superfund site" in 1992. This means it was a very polluted place that needed special cleanup. Her parents created a "concerned citizen committee" because people in the neighborhood believed the pollution was making them sick.
Marquita Bradshaw was also inspired by her uncle, John DeBerry. He was a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for many years. Marquita Bradshaw studied journalism and communication at the University of Memphis. She earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree there.
Marquita Bradshaw's Career
Marquita Bradshaw is a leader in environmental justice for the Tennessee chapter of the Sierra Club. Environmental justice means making sure that everyone, especially people of color and low-income communities, has the right to a healthy environment.
She has worked with many different groups. These include community advocacy groups, environmental organizations, and unions. Some of these groups are the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center, the AFL–CIO, the Sierra Club, and Tennesseans for Fair Taxation.
2020 U.S. Senate Election Bid
In October 2019, Marquita Bradshaw announced she would run for a US Senate seat. This seat was being left open by Senator Lamar Alexander, who was retiring. She explained that she felt many senators were very wealthy and did not understand the struggles of working-class people in Tennessee. She said that policies often hurt working people without meaning to.
Bradshaw focused her campaign on "environmental justice principles." She pointed out that people of color and poor white people often face different environmental laws than others. Besides environmental issues, she also supported ideas like Medicare for All, which would provide healthcare for everyone, and the Green New Deal, a plan to address climate change and create jobs. She also supported stricter background checks for buying guns. She wanted to keep the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects young immigrants. She also wanted to overturn Citizens United v. FEC, a court decision about money in politics.
In the Democratic primary election, Bradshaw was one of five candidates. Many people expected another candidate, James Mackler, to win easily. He had raised a lot more money for his campaign. However, on August 6, Marquita Bradshaw won the primary with 35.5% of the votes. This was a big surprise! News organizations called it an "astonishing upset victory."
After her primary win, many important political figures and groups supported her. These included Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and the Sierra Club. Marquita Bradshaw promised to visit all 95 counties in Tennessee to campaign for the general election.
She ran against Republican Bill Hagerty in the election on November 3, 2020. Bill Hagerty won the election with 62% of the votes, while Bradshaw received 35%. Republicans have held both of Tennessee's Senate seats since 1994.
After the Senate Race
After her 2020 Senate campaign, Marquita Bradshaw started Sowing Justice. This organization works to get people more involved in their communities and to promote environmental justice.
In August 2021, many environmental groups asked President Biden to choose new members for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This commission makes important decisions about energy. They suggested Marquita Bradshaw as one of the people who could help make energy sources cleaner and fairer for everyone. Bradshaw believes the commission should support a "just transition" to cleaner energy. This means moving away from polluting energy sources in a way that is fair to workers and communities.
She ran for the Senate again in 2024. However, she lost the Democratic primary election to Gloria Johnson.
See also
- Black women in American politics
- List of African-American United States Senate candidates
