Virginia’s Political Champion: Senator Yvonne B. Miller

March 30, 2009

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By Jessica Smocer, Virginia’s Farm Team

Senator Yvonne B. Miller’s resume is nothing short of remarkable. The eldest of 13 children, she was born in Edenton, North Carolina, but moved to Norfolk, Va. Faced with segregation and the massive resistance of the times, she earned her teaching degree from Virginia State College in 1956; her Master’s degree from Teachers College, in Columbia University ’s summer program; joined the faculty at Norfolk State College; and earned her Doctor of Philosophy degree at University of Pittsburgh.


As a political leader of the Commonwealth of Virginia, she has championed programs to address a variety of societal ills: creating services to help prevent youth suicide; caring for children who were exposed to drugs prenatally; intervening in support of handicapped infants and toddlers; securing health insurance for the uninsured; strengthening the kinship care principles related to foster care, and advocating for the restoration of voting rights for felons.

Tirelessly working on the General Assembly floor, Senator Miller wastes no time basking in the glow her accomplishments. And don’t think for one minute she’s letting other women off the hook either. “I make every women who comes to my office sit in my chair and get her picture taken,” she says, with a mixture of warmth and resolve, ” and they do not leave my office without the commitment that they will either run for office themselves, or support a women who running for office.”

“Women are 51% of our population”, she says, “so we should be 51% of the General Assembly.”

To women who don’t feel they have the “traditional” background necessary to run for elected office, Senator Miller had this to say, “Any self-respecting woman who can run a house or a job can run for the General Assembly.” She went on to cite the special skills and talents these women could bring to the table. “Women generally have a different way of relating to people by naturally considering responsibility for herself and for others. They may think about people in the state in a way men might not think about them…[they] are generally problem solvers in a different way then men.” She continued, “We look for a ‘win-win’ solution, and if we can’t get one, we look for a solution that will do the least amount of damage.”

She also pointed out that women tended to be skilled in forming coalitions, bringing people along in the process, and finding reasonable solutions to the challenges faced by families. “And since women don’t have wives, women understand what it’s like not to have support,” she quipped.

Qualifying the statement she said, “Men generally start younger because they have a support system in place to help them in the process. Women who have young children often feel guilty about leaving the care of their children to others, so they enter into the process later in life.” She noted that many of the women that do enter into the process early often do not have children.

But there are benefits to this trade-off. These…”women are more secure when they get here and also generally come with a stronger purpose,” said Senator Miller. “They are more secure in their professional and family relationships.” She continued, “Once they determine where they plug in, and depending on the party in power, they rise quickly.”

Senator Miller cited her journey beginning with her desire to drum up additional state monies for Norfolk State University, an under-funded African American university, in an effort to balance the scales with the typical funding allocated to traditionally white State schools. “But it can start anywhere,” she concluded, referencing Church, PTA, Civic League, career specialties, community efforts, and affordable housing causes. “Women have a multiplicity of interests.”

Yvonne B. Miller’s is the first African-American woman to serve in the House of Delegates (1984); and the first to serve in the Virginia Senate as well (1988); first woman to chair a Senate committee (1996); woman with longest Senate service (1998 – ) Woman Senator with longest Legislative Service (House of Delegates (1984 – 1987); Senate (1988 – )).

To contribute and support Senator Miller, visit: http://www.senatorybmiller.com/

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