Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton honored with Fred Shuttleworth Award
Eleanor Holmes Norton is the 2016 Fred Shuttlesworth Award recipient. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
She’s an outspoken and passionate member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving since 1991. Eleanor Norton Holmes’ political and social track record will be honored this weekend in Birmingham with an award named after a civil rights legend and trailblazer.
She is the recipient of the 2016 Fred L. Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award.
Norton, a Democrat, is a nonvoting member of the House, serving as a delegate from the District of Columbia.
In addition to her work as a lawmaker, she has held positions such as an executive assistant to the mayor of New York City, assistant legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and the first female chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the EEOC.
Norton’s work before her time in the House has been documented in the new original television series from Amazon Studios. “Good Girls Revolt” follows the story of how Norton, as an attorney, took on newsroom executives over the fair treatment of female employees.
It’s based on the book “The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued their Bosses and Changed the Workplace.” Actress Joy Bryant plays Norton in the show, detailing the landmark sexual discrimination lawsuit.
Here are some fast facts about Eleanor Holmes Norton:
- She was born in Washington, D.C.
- She garnered 89 percent of the vote in the House election in the District of Columbia Nov. 9.
- She has held the District of Columbia position in the House for 2 1/2 decades.
- Norton serves on the following committees:
The award ceremony will be Saturday night at Birmingham’s Lyric Theatre. Tickets can be purchased by going to the Civil Rights Institute site or the Lyric Theatre’s site.
