THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT

Juanita Millender-McDonald

September 7, 1938 – April 22, 2007

“Without the Women, I Wouldn’t Have Been Able to Do It.” – Juanita Millender-McDonald, referring to EMILY’s List supporting her candidacy, April 28, 1996

A fast-rising star in California politics, Juanita Millender-McDonald won her seat in the United States House of Representatives six years after capturing her first elected office. From her position on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Millender-McDonald shaped transportation legislation and federal programs that directly affected her Los Angeles district. In 2007 she made history by becoming one of the first African-American women to chair a standing committee in Congress – the House Administration Committee.

More About Juanita:

  • Biography, United States House of Representatives
  • Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald Memorial Service, May 17, 2007
  • Memorial Addresses and Tributes in honor of Juanita Millender-McDonald
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Archives
    • African American Museum and Library at Oakland, CA. Papers: In the Ronald V. Dellums Congressional Papers, 1971-1999, 47 linear feet. Persons represented include Juanita Millender-McDonald.
    • California State University, Dominguez Hills, Archives and Special Collections, Carson, CA. Papers: ca. 1984-2007, 13.34 linear feet. The Juanita Millender-McDonald Collection includes: correspondence, newsletters, press releases, speeches, reports, flyers, questionnaires, bills and amendments, greeting cards, newspaper clippings, and ephemera including photos, plaques and video tapes. A large number of files are devoted to the Congressional Black Caucus, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Congressional Caucus on Women’s issues, California Assembly and House Administration. Subjects include labor issues, HIV/AIDS, CIA Nicaraguan Contra scandal, education, minority issues, finance, health, the John Kerry Presidential Campaign, political practices and policies, transportation and China. A finding aid is available in the repository and online. Videotapes: In the California State University, Dominguez Hills Video Collections, 1973-2006, 30 linear feet. Persons represented include Congresswoman Juanita Millender McDonald.
    • University of California, Los Angeles, Chicano Studies Research Center, Los Angeles, CA. Papers: In the Comision Femenil de Los Angeles Papers II, ca. 1980-1990, amount unknown. Correspondents include Juanita Millender-McDonald.
  • Wikipedia page