"Verda Welcome"(March 18 1907-April 22 1990)

Was an African American teacher,civil rights leader,and Maryland state senator.She was the first black woman to be elected to a state senate.She spent 25 years in the Maryland legislature and worked to pass legislation which enforced stricter employment regulations and discouraged racial discrimination.She was born on a small farm in Lake Lure,North Carolina.In 1929,she moved to Baltimore,and graduated from Coppin State Teachers College 3 years later.Verda received a bachelor's degree in history from Morgan State College in 1939,and completed a master's degree in history at New York University in 1943.Between 1934&1945,she taught at public schools in Baltimore.Verda was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.In 1958,Verda was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates to represent the Fourth District of Baltimore City,becoming the first black woman in the position,which she held for three years.Elected to the Maryland State Senate in 1962,she was the first black woman in the United States to be elected to hold a state senate seat.In April 1964,she survived an assassination attempt,two men were convicted.In 1967,Verda worked towards,eliminating Maryland's racial segregation laws which had been in place since slavery was legal.Verda was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968,1972,and 1976.she served in political office until 1982,when she retired.Verda died in Baltimore.She was awarded a Woman of the Year award in 1962,which was presented by the Women's Auxiliary to the National Medical Association.In 1988 she was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.