Biography
Millender-McDonald was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She was educated at the University of Redlands, from which she received a business degree; California State University, Los Angeles, from which she earned a masters in education; and the University of Southern California, from which she completed her doctorate. She worked as a teacher, a textbook editor, and later as director of a nonprofit organization working for gender issues. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Millender-McDonald served as a member of the City Council of Carson, California and was a member of the California State Assembly before entering the House. She was first elected to the House in a March 1996 special election to replace Congressman Walter Tucker, who resigned due to corruption charges and was later sentenced to 27 months in prison. While she won a difficult nine-candidate primary in her first election run, she did not face any serious opposition in any of her reelection campaigns.
In Congress, she was known for her commitment to protecting international human rights. Millender-McDonald worked to aid victims of genocide and human trafficking. In 1996, she also led an inquiry into allegations that the CIA was working with the cocaine industry to bankroll Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
Within a week of her requesting a leave of absence to deal with her illness, on April 22, 2007, Millender-McDonald died in hospice care, succumbing to colon cancer at the age of 68 at her home in Carson. She left a husband, James McDonald, Jr., and five adult children.
Read more about this topic: Juanita Millender-McDonald
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