Representative Gwen Moore

Gwen Moore was born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1951 and was raised in Milwaukee. She is the eighth of nine children; her father worked as a union factory worker and her mother was a public school teacher. She is the first African American elected to Congress from the State of Wisconsin. Moore began her career as a community leader and VISTA volunteer, where she spearheaded the start-up of a community credit union. For her service between 1976 and 1986, she earned the national VISTA Volunteer of the Decade award.

Moore is a strong advocate for improving economic and employment conditions in low-income communities. Her work includes efforts to curb predatory lending, help small businesses grow, push for affordable housing, and advocate for non-discriminatory hiring of minority-owned businesses for government contracts. She has been outspoken on behalf of low-wage workers and peacefully demonstrated for a living wage with fast food workers in 2014, an action that led to her arrest. Additionally, she is a champion for women's rights, focusing on health insurance reform, maternal and infant mortality, and domestic violence. She led the charge to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and opposes efforts to limit women's reproductive freedom.

Internationally, Moore serves as a member of the House Democracy Partnership, collaborating with partners to advocate for responsible democracies. In January 2015, she received global recognition for assembling members of Congress to raise pencils in honor of free speech and the victims of the attack on Charlie Hebdo during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. She is the mother of three children, Jesselynne, Ade, and Sowande Supreme, and is a grandmother and great-grandmother.

Education

Moore attended North Division High School in Milwaukee, where she served as Student Council President. After graduation, she began college at Marquette University as a single, expectant mother on welfare. She was able to complete her education with the help of Federal TRIO programs, which support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Moore earned a B.A. in Political Science from Marquette University. She is an alumnus and strong advocate for the Federal TRIO programs. In 2000, she earned a Harvard University Certificate for Senior Executives in State and Local Government. She has consistently supported legislation to ensure low-income students have access to nutritious meals year-round to improve attendance and attentiveness.

Political Experience

Moore was elected to represent Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District in 2004. Prior to her election to Congress, she served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1993 to 2004. Before her tenure in the Senate, she served two consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1989 to 1992. As a state legislator, she focused on welfare, education, criminal justice, women's rights, and civil rights, leading fights against racial profiling, domestic abuse, and voting rights violations.

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Moore is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, where she serves on the Tax, Social Security, and Work and Welfare Subcommittees. She also serves on the Joint Economic Committee. She previously served on the Financial Services, Science, Space, and Technology, and Budget Committees, as well as the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth.

Moore holds several leadership roles and caucus memberships. She serves as co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. She is a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Black Maternal Health Caucus, and Democratic Women's Caucus. She previously served as the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus from 2011 to 2013 and as the Communications Task Force Co-Chair. She also served as the Regional Whip for the Democratic Caucus.