C. DeLores Tucker (1927-2005)
Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Civil rights leader and activist for women, she was the first African American Secretary of State in the nation. Championed the PA Equal Rights Amendment and policies on affirmative action, voter registration by mail, and lowering the voting age to 18. Spearheaded the creation of the Commission on the Status of Women & led a successful crusade critical of the music industry and lyrics demeaning to women, African Americans, and children.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
C. DeLores Tucker rose through the civil rights movement to become, in Pennsylvania, the first African American woman to serve as a Secretary of State anywhere in the nation. From that office she championed the state Equal Rights Amendment, affirmative action, voter registration by mail, and lowering the voting age to eighteen. Later she led a high-profile campaign against music lyrics she saw as demeaning to women, African Americans, and children.
Why it matters
Her career shows how the civil rights generation carried its fight into the halls of government, expanding both voting access and the role of Black women in American public life.
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Related people
- · C. DeLores Tucker
Related events
- · Pennsylvania Commission on the Status of Women
Themes & tags
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