"Young people have to stop sitting at home complaining,
and I tell them 'Get up, get up off that couch, baby,' " said Zelma
Blakes, a dynamic young woman who has been running for office "my whole
life." At 32, she is attempting to become the first black woman to
represent Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, "the poorest district
in the country," which "needs someone who cares." Ms. Blakes is a
prototype of the black women vying for public offices such as
Democratic Virginia Delegate Viola O. Baskerville, who is mounting a
campaign for lieutenant governor for which Women Building for the
Future Political Action Committee was formed to encourage and support. [more ]
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