Gwendolyn T. Britt
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| Gwendolyn T. Britt | |
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Senator Maryland District 9B
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| In office January 8, 2003 – Present |
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| Succeeded by | Incumbent |
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| Born | Washington, D.C. |
| Political party | Democrat |
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[edit] Background
Gwendolyn Britt is a member of the Maryland State Senate, first elected in 2003, to represent District 47, in Prince George's County, MD, winning with 99.4% of the vote.[1] Her district includes the areas and towns of Adelphi, Buck Lodge, Langley Park, Chillum, Avondale, Ridgecrest, Carole Highlands, Brentwood, North Brentwood, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Cheverly, Kentland, Bladensburg, Landover Hills, West Lanham Hills, and Lanham.
[edit] Education
Britt graduated from McKinley High School in [[Washington, D.C.]. She received her B.S. in political science from Bowie State University.
[edit] Career
Britt was a business office manager for AT&T from 1968-84. She later held jobs as a real estate agent with Long & Foster Realtors from 1984-88. Later, she was a human resources and personnel manager with Giant Food from 1988-2002.
She made headlines in the 1960's when she was arrested in Glen Echo Amusement Park for refusing to leaving a segregated facility. She was one of five Howard University students who were plaintiffs in civil rights suits that were heard before the Supreme Court. They were arguing for desegregation of Glen Echo Amusement Park.
She was also a courageous civil rights Freedom Rider in the 60's, arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, and spent 40 days in jail in Mississippi with other Freedom Riders. She was a voter registration volunteer in McComb, Mississippi, helping African Americans who had been denied the right to register to vote because they could not interpret the Constitution before white registrars. During the era of segregation, her life and many other volunteers' lives were at risk for helping Blacks who had been disenfranchised.
In 2007, she co-sponsored a controversial bill with State Delegate Justin Ross to the State Senate that would allow convicted released felons the right to vote. [2]. The bill successfully passed both the Senate and the House and should be signed into law by the governor.
