Roberta Achtenberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberta Achtenberg
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An official portrait of Roberta Achtenberg from the U.S Commission on Civil Rights
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| Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors | |
| In office 1991–1993 |
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| Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity | |
| In office 1993–1995 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Succeeded by | Susan Leal |
| Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development | |
| In office 1995–1997 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights | |
| In office 2011–2016 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 20, 1950 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
David Chavkin
(div. 1977) |
| Domestic partner | Mary C. Morgan (separated) |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley (BA) University of Utah (JD) |
Roberta Achtenberg (born July 20, 1950) is an American lawyer and a champion for civil rights. She served as a commissioner on the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Before that, she was an Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
She made history as the first openly gay or lesbian public official in the United States. Her appointment to a federal job was approved by the United States Senate. This approval process received a lot of attention, with both support and opposition.
Roberta Achtenberg studied at different universities, including the University of California and the University of Utah. Before her political career, she worked as a lawyer and helped start important organizations. She has received many awards for her work.
Contents
About Roberta Achtenberg
Her Early Life and Family
Roberta Achtenberg's father came to the United States from the Soviet Union. Her mother was from Quebec, Canada. Neither of her parents had much formal schooling. They owned a grocery store in Los Angeles. Roberta and her three brothers and sisters grew up in California.
Her Education Journey
After finishing Morningside High School in Inglewood, California, Roberta Achtenberg went to college. She first attended University of California, Los Angeles. Then she moved to the University of California, Berkeley and earned a degree in history in 1972. She also went to law school, getting her law degree from the University of Utah in 1975.
Her Personal Life
Roberta Achtenberg has a son named Benjamin. She was one of the most well-known lesbian parents in politics at the time. She often spoke about fairness and equal rights for all people. In 2015, she gave a speech at the University of Utah's law school graduation.
Her Career and Advocacy
Before working in government, Achtenberg spent over 15 years helping people. She worked as a civil rights lawyer and led non-profit groups. She also taught about law.
From 1975 to 1976, she was a teaching fellow at Stanford University Law School. In 1976, she became the Dean of the New College of California School of Law.
Helping the LGBTQ Community
Roberta Achtenberg supported the LGBTQ community early in her career. In 1977, she helped start the National Center for Lesbian Rights. This group helps LGBTQ+ people with legal advice and education.
In 1978, she worked for LGBTQ rights with the National Lawyers Guild. She helped create a guide called Sexual Orientation and the Law (1985). This guide showed how to properly represent gay and lesbian people in legal cases.
Other Important Roles
Achtenberg also served on the Board of Directors for the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco. She worked there from 1997 to 2002. She also worked as a lawyer for the Lesbian Rights Project.
In 2018, she joined the team helping the Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed. She helped with many issues, including LGBTQ policies. She is also a partner at ABK City Advisors.
Her Political Journey
Roberta Achtenberg first ran for a political office in 1988 but did not win. In 1990, she was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. This was a big moment because she and Carole Migden were the first two openly lesbian women elected to the board. While on the board, she worked on issues like individual rights and helping small businesses. She also helped create shelters for people experiencing domestic violence.
Working for President Clinton
In 1993, President Bill Clinton chose her to be the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. This made her the first openly LGBTQ person to be approved for a job in a U.S. Cabinet department.
In this role, Achtenberg worked to make sure everyone had fair housing. For example, she helped integrate a town in Texas that was previously all-white. She also helped families find homes after a hurricane in 1994. Her team even won an award from Vice President Gore for their good work. From 1995 to 1997, she was a senior advisor to the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Running for Mayor and Other Roles
Achtenberg left her federal job in 1995 to run for mayor of San Francisco. She came in third place. From 1998 to 2004, she helped create policies for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.
In 2004, she helped Phyllis Ann Lyon and Del Martin, a same-sex couple, get the first marriage license issued to a same-sex couple in San Francisco.
Helping California State University
In 2000, Governor Gray Davis appointed her to the Board of Trustees for California State University (CSU). She became the chair of the board in 2006. She served on the CSU Board of Trustees for 16 years until 2015. She helped create the "Access to Excellence Plan" for the university system. She also helped start the CSU Institute for Palliative Care. Because of her hard work, she received an honorary degree called a Doctor of Humane Letters.
Working with President Obama
In 2008, Achtenberg helped the Obama administration as they prepared to take office. On January 26, 2011, President Barack Obama named her a Commissioner for the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She served in this role until 2016.
Her Confirmation Hearing
When President Bill Clinton nominated Roberta Achtenberg for Assistant Secretary, her approval process was very public. Her hearing was held in front of the Senate's Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. It started on April 29, 1993.
After many debates, Achtenberg was approved by the Senate on May 24, 1993. She received 58 votes in favor and 31 against. This made her the first openly LGBTQ+ person to hold a federal position after going through the Senate approval process.
During the hearing, she was asked many questions by Senators. She also received support from many groups and people. She stated that her goal was to end housing discrimination. She wanted to make sure everyone could choose their housing freely and fairly.
Awards and Recognition
Roberta Achtenberg has received many awards for her work:
- In 1993, Advocate Article, a gay and lesbian magazine, named her their Woman of the Year.
- She received the Visibility Award in 1994 from the GLAAD Media Awards.
- The San Francisco Business Times recognized her five times as one of the "50 Most Influential Businesswomen" in the Bay Area.
- She received the Founders Award from the National Center for Lesbian Rights.
- The National Community Reinvestment Coalition gave her the Award of Excellence.
- The California State Senate named her "Woman of the Year" for the Third District.
- The United Way, Bay Area, declared her Management Volunteer of the Year.
- She received the Southern California Women for Understanding Achievement Award.
- The National Organization for Women gave her the Women of Achievement Award.
- She received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from California State University and California State University San Marcos.
- In 2012, Equality Forum named her one of their 31 Icons of LGBT History Month.
- In 2021, the California Legislature's LGBTQ Caucus honored her as a Pride Honoree. This was for her pioneering work and for being the first openly LGBTQ person to hold a federal position.
- She was inducted into the LGBTQ Victory Institute's Hall of Fame in 2021.
- In 2022, the Department of Housing and Urban Development recognized her as a #WomenWhoBuiltHUD during Women's History Month.
