When Donna Brazile was just 9 years old, she met a City Council candidate who improved the lives of all the children in her community by filling one simple request. Back then, all she needed was properly working a playground but the candidate made good on their commitment and Donna Brazile has been working in politics ever since.
Since then, the New Orleans native has accomplished much more for communities across the nation, than the installation of a children’ swing set. Not only has she worked on every single presidential campaign since 1976, she also played a major role in the recognition of Dr. King’s birthday as a holiday. At the age of 21, the young girl “From the Bayou,” as she likes to call it, was given the chance to make a real difference 20 years after the civil rights icon was assassinated. Corretta Scott King’s sister in law saw something in her and ever since then, Brazile has made it her mission to use politics for not only for the good, but also for the great.
These days, the Veteran Democratic political strategist is a best- selling author, adjunct professor, ABC and CNN commentator, a beloved columnist, a Vice Chair of Voter Registration and more. She’s been named one of O Magazine’s “20 Remarkable Visionaries,” listed as one of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the Washingtonian and of course, one of the Top 50 Women in America by ESSENCE Magazine.
Nonetheless, she remains committed to her home state of Louisiana. In fact, when Hurricane Katrina hit, she was determined to do all she could to ensure that the Gulf Coast would be brought back to life. Former governor Kathleen Blanco appointed her to serve as one of the members on the Louisiana Recovery Board to ensure the concerns of the people were heard on a national stage.
This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the tragic storm and since ESSENCE FEST has called The Big Easy home for 19 of 20 years, we called on Donna Brazile to speak at our ESSENCE Empowerment Experience. On Friday July 3, she will lead a discussion called “Hurricane Katrina, 10 Years Later.”
For ensuring that men, women and children across the world know the power of their voices and empowering with the knowledge of how to use them, Donna Brazile is a woman to watch.
Watch her inpsiring commencement speech at the 2015 Spelman College graduation.
Don’t miss Donna or any of our dynamic speakers at ESSENCE FEST 2015! Single Night Tickets are on sale, now.