"Cora Mae Brown"(April 19,1914- December 17 1972)

Was the first African-American woman elected to a United States senate,winning a seat in the

Michigan State Senate in 1952.Cora was Richard and Alice Brown's only child born in Bessemer Alabama.At the age of eight she and her family moved Detroit Michigan.There her father established a tailor shop.In Michigan she was nurtured by a lively community of female activists who encouraged her to attend Fisk University after her graduation from Cass Technical High School.At Fisk she studied with the renowned sociologist ,E. Franklin Frazier,and graduated with a degree in sociology.Upon her return to Michigan Cora obtained one of the few white-collar jobs available to black women in Detroit's public sector,as a social worker in the Women's Division of the Police Department.In the early 1940s she began attending Wayne State University Law School.upon her graduation in 1948 Cora began to explore the possibility of running for public office.In 1950 She ran for a seat on the Michigan State Senate but was defeated.On November 4,1952,She ran again and won,and served for two terms (1953-1956).She served as the state senate for the 2nd district during her first term and served for the 3nd district her during her second term.She then attempted to reach the halls of of  Congress by running for the House Representatives in 1956.After losing her race,she was appointed as the special associate general counsel of the U.S.Post Office in 1957,where she served the reminder of her working life.