July 18, 2013
By KENNETH MILLER
Assistant Managing Editor
Congresswoman Karen Bass (D CA-37) will be hosting Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge during a private ceremony this weekend in Los Angeles.
Fudge is just the 23rd chair in the 140-year history of the CBC, an organization that has been a benchmark for African American leadership on Capitol Hill.
“I am very honored that (Rep.) Marcia Fudge will be my honored guest this weekend,” Bass told the Sentinel.
“She has been on the forefront in fighting for justice in the Trayvon Martin case, a strong advocate for voting rights and will soon be discussing the CBC’s meeting it had with the President.”
Bass was re-elected to her second term representing the newly drawn 37th Congressional District last year and she has been an outspoken advocate for balanced fiscal policies that preserve the social guarantee to seniors and invest in the future.
Bass also serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs where she is ranking member of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee Bass is working to craft sound criminal justice reforms as well as protect intellectual property right infringements that threaten the economic health of the 37th District.
She was selected by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to serve on the Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy direction of the Democratic Caucus and is also playing a leadership role in the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), where she serves as whip for the 113th Congress.
The CBC protects congressional members who often face violent opposition in Washington, DC and within the communities of which they were a part, but through the CBC Black Members of Congress have relied on a combination of legislative tactics and grassroots, community-based initiatives to bring attention and positive change to issues of social and economic injustice.
Fudge will continue to lead the charge during the 113th Congress.
She took the oath of office for the 110th Congress completing the unexpired term of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and becoming the second African American female in the state of Ohio to hold the position.
A native Ohioan, Fudge graduated from Shaker Heights High School and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio State University, in 1975. She went on to receive a J.D. from Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University in June 1983.
Fudge’s experience in law is diverse. She has enjoyed roles as a solo law practitioner, visiting referee and acting judge. These experiences have been instrumental in her success in civic endeavors.
Fudge gathers strength from her church, Zion Chapel Baptist church. She has modeled her life after her mother, Marian Saffold, and practices the principles of the sorority she served as 21st National President, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.