Polly Baca
Polly Baca | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Colorado Senate from the 25th district | |
| In office January 10, 1979 – January 14, 1987 | |
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 34th district | |
| In office 1974 – January 10, 1979 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 13, 1941 Greeley, Colorado |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Miguel Barragan (divorced) |
| Profession | Political |
Polly Baca (born February 13, 1941) is an American politician who served as Chair of the Democratic Caucus of the
She also was the first to co-chair a National Democratic Convention.
In addition, she's currently the president and CEO of "Baca Barragan & Perez Associates", "a consulting firm specializing in political campaigns, multicultural leadership development, diversity training, motivational presentations, policy analysis and development, and government relations."[2] and still remains active in her community working on behalf of local and national issues important to low income Americans. She also continues to help with issues on civil rights, political campaigns and consulting with companies and organizations on developing multicultural relations programs.[1]
Early years
Polly Baca-Barragán was born in
When she was three years old, the Baca family moved to Greeley, Colorado, a community that allowed segregated churches, theaters, and business establishments. Mexicans and Mexican Americans were separated from the mainstream community. At three years of age, Baca experienced segregation in church that contribute to her future political ideology.[3]
She graduated from Colorado State University, with a Bachelor of Arts in political science.[2] During her freshman year at the University,[4] she studied physics, but because she belonged to many political organizations,[1] a professor suggested she change her major to political science, something which she accepted.[4]
Early political career
She plunged into campus politics, taking the vice presidency, and later the presidency, of the "Young Democrats" of the university and CSU;[1][3] she was also secretary for her freshman class. Active as a volunteer for congressional campaigns,[3] Baca-Barragán was a student chairman of the Colorado Viva Kennedy Campaign for John F. Kennedy[1] and worked as an intern for the Colorado Democratic Party.
After receiving her BA in political science in 1962,
In June 1968 she joined the staff of the national campaign of the late Senator
A few years later, adding to a long list of "firsts", Polly became an assistant to the Chairman of the
Political leadership in Colorado
In 1974, Polly Baca-Barragán won Colorado's 34th district seat in the state's House of Representatives,
Throughout her term she sponsored 201 more House bills and 57 additional Senate bills. Of these, 156 passed both houses and are now law. Some of her most notable bills are Senate Bill 118, providing for the protection of deposits of public monies held by the state and national banks (1986); Senate Bill 87, providing authority to the Colorado district courts to enforce foreign subpoenas, (1985); Senate Bill 139, concerning assessment of civil money penalties by the state banking board, (1985); House Bill 1117, continuing the short-term-loan revolving fund in the division of housing, (1985); House Bill 1336, regulating the operation of non state post-secondary institutions in Colorado by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, and many others. In addition, she introduced legislation to protect public monies in state national banks.
In 1980 and again in 1984, she was elected Co-Chair of the
. After the long campaign Baca-Barragán retired from public office and became President of Sierra Baca Systems, a consulting firm specializing in program development and evaluation, leadership training, analysis of emission, and motivational presentations. In addition, Baca-Barragán has frequently appeared as a political commentator on both television and radio.In 1988, she was honored as one of the original 14 members to be inducted into the National Hispanic Hall of Fame and being listed in the World Who's Who of Women.
In addition, she was the regional administrator of the
After leaving public service in 1998, Baca began a consulting firm and participated voluntarily, and to full-time, with the Center for Contemplative Living, dedicating to renewing the contemplative dimension of the Gospels in everyday life. Polly Baca also holds several honorary degrees from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley and Wartburg College.[7]
In 2011, Baca started to serve as the State Chair of the Colorado Democratic Party.[8] Baca was a respondent in Supreme Court case Colorado Department of State v. Baca, a challenge to Colorado rules compelling an elector to vote for the presidential candidate who received the most votes in the state.[9] The Court ruled unanimously that a state can enforce an elector's pledge to vote for a candidate in the associated case Chiafalo v. Washington and ruled against Baca in a per curiam opinion.[10]
Others media
She has appeared in a number of TV and radio programs such as ABC's
Personal life
Polly Baca met her future husband, Miguel Barragan, a
Recognitions
- In 2000, Baca is inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, being so one of the 14 original members of the National Hispanic Hall of Fame.[2][7]
- She obtained, between many other awards, the Achievement Award from the Colorado Democratic Party, in 2006.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Civil Rights Act: Colorado woman knew the pain, but never stopped fighting for equality Archived 2014-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. Posted by Carol McGraw on July 1, 2014 at 10:59 am. Retrieved in 10, August, 2014, to 12:08 pm.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Board of Trustees: Polly Baca
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Polly Baca-Bacarrán Answer.com.2006. Posted on November 26, 2008. Retrieved in May 22–26, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Have You Met?
- ^ "Polly Baca Executive Director of the Latin American Research and Service Agency". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2014-08-10.
- ^ a b Polly Baca: Powerful Latinas. com Archived 2009-02-02 at archive.today Monday, June 2010.
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Great Plains. BACA, POLLY (b. 1941). Edited by David J. Wishart.
- ^ The Spot. for politics and policy: Baca announces bid for Dem party chair. Edited by Curtis Hubbard.
- ^ Hutchins, Corey (Aug 16, 2017). "Electoral College members file voter 'intimidation' lawsuit against Colorado's secretary of state". Colorado Independent.
- ^ Howe, Amy (July 6, 2020). "Opinion analysis: Court upholds "faithless elector" laws". SCOTUSblog. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
External links
- Obama fan Polly Baca tells the president: Please stay away Archived 2014-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. Posted by Michael Roberts.
- Colorado Women's Hall of Fame Archived 2017-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Appearances on C-SPAN