Gwendolyn T. Britt
Encyclopedia
Gwendolyn Britt was a member of the Maryland State Senate
, first elected in 2003, to represent District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland
, USA, winning with 99.4% of the vote. Her district included the areas and towns of Adelphi
, Buck Lodge, Langley Park
, Chillum
, Avondale, Ridgecrest, Carole Highlands, Brentwood
, North Brentwood, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Cheverly
, Kentland, Bladensburg
, Landover Hills
, West Lanham Hills, and Lanham
. Britt died suddenly in January 2008 of natural causes.
in Washington, D.C.
She received her B.S. in political science from Bowie State University
.
from 1968 to 1984. She later held jobs as a real estate agent with Long & Foster
Realtors from 1984-88. Later, she was a human resources and personnel manager with Giant Food
from 1988 to 2002.
She made headlines in the 1960s when she was arrested at the Glen Echo Amusement Park
for refusing to leave. She was one of five Howard University
students who were plaintiffs in civil rights suits that were heard before the Supreme Court
arguing for desegregation of the amusement park
.
She was also a Freedom Rider in the 1960s and spent 40 days in jail in Jackson, Mississippi
. She was also a voter registration volunteer in McComb, Mississippi
, helping African Americans who had been denied the right to register to vote because they could not interpret the Constitution before white registrars.
In 2007, she co-sponsored a controversial bill with State Delegate Justin Ross to the State Senate that would allow convicted released felons the right to vote. The bill successfully passed both the houses of the Maryland state legislature. She was a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
, and chairman of the Prince George's County Senate Delegation.
Maryland State Senate
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland...
, first elected in 2003, to represent District 47 in Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, USA, winning with 99.4% of the vote. Her district included the areas and towns of Adelphi
Adelphi, Maryland
Adelphi is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 14,998 at the 2000 census...
, Buck Lodge, Langley Park
Langley Park, Maryland
Langley Park is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Washington, D.C. metro area. It is located inside the Capital Beltway, on the northwest edge of Prince George's County, Maryland, bordering Montgomery County, Maryland....
, Chillum
Chillum, Maryland
Chillum is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 34,252 at the 2000 census...
, Avondale, Ridgecrest, Carole Highlands, Brentwood
Brentwood, Maryland
Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,844 at the 2000 census. Brentwood is less than away from Washington, DC...
, North Brentwood, Colmar Manor, Cottage City, Cheverly
Cheverly, Maryland
Cheverly is a town in central Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., United States. The town was founded in 1918 and it was incorporated in 1931. Cheverly had 6,433 residents as of the 2000 Census....
, Kentland, Bladensburg
Bladensburg, Maryland
Bladensburg is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 7,661 at the 2000 census.Bladensburg is from central Washington, DC...
, Landover Hills
Landover Hills, Maryland
Landover Hills is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,534 at the 2000 census.It has a neighborhood named Defense Heights.-Bordering areas:* Woodlawn * Greater Landover...
, West Lanham Hills, and Lanham
Lanham, Maryland
Lanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
. Britt died suddenly in January 2008 of natural causes.
Education
Britt graduated from McKinley High SchoolMcKinley Technology High School
McKinley Technology High School is a public city-wide 9-12th grade high school in the District of Columbia Public Schools in northeast Washington, D.C.. The school was originally an off shoot of Central High School , was called McKinley Technical High School and was located at 7th and Rhode Island...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
She received her B.S. in political science from Bowie State University
Bowie State University
Bowie State University , is a public university located on 355½ acres in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, north of the suburban city of Bowie. Bowie State is part of the University System of Maryland...
.
Career
Britt was a business office manager for AT&TAT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
from 1968 to 1984. She later held jobs as a real estate agent with Long & Foster
Long & Foster
Long & Foster is the largest privately-owned real estate company in the United States with over 15,000 agents in nearly 230 sales offices in the Mid-Atlantic region....
Realtors from 1984-88. Later, she was a human resources and personnel manager with Giant Food
Giant Food
Giant Food as a supermarket chain may refer to:* Giant-Carlisle or Giant Food Stores LLC, a subsidiary of Ahold* Giant-Landover or Giant Food LLC, also an Ahold subsidiary* Giant Food Markets of Broome County, New York...
from 1988 to 2002.
She made headlines in the 1960s when she was arrested at the Glen Echo Amusement Park
Glen Echo Park (Maryland)
Glen Echo Park, also known as Glen Echo Amusement Park and Glen Echo Park Historic District, is a public park and national historic district in Glen Echo, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is managed by the National Park Service as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It began in 1891 as...
for refusing to leave. She was one of five Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
students who were plaintiffs in civil rights suits that were heard before the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
arguing for desegregation of the amusement park
Glen Echo Park (Maryland)
Glen Echo Park, also known as Glen Echo Amusement Park and Glen Echo Park Historic District, is a public park and national historic district in Glen Echo, Montgomery County, Maryland. It is managed by the National Park Service as part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It began in 1891 as...
.
She was also a Freedom Rider in the 1960s and spent 40 days in jail in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
. She was also a voter registration volunteer in McComb, Mississippi
McComb, Mississippi
McComb is a city in Pike County, Mississippi, United States, about south of Jackson. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 13,644. It is the principal city of the McComb, Mississippi, Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, helping African Americans who had been denied the right to register to vote because they could not interpret the Constitution before white registrars.
In 2007, she co-sponsored a controversial bill with State Delegate Justin Ross to the State Senate that would allow convicted released felons the right to vote. The bill successfully passed both the houses of the Maryland state legislature. She was a member of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...
, and chairman of the Prince George's County Senate Delegation.
External links
- http://archive1.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/05sen/html/msa13951.html
- http://www.elections.state.md.us/elections/2002/results/index.html
- http://www.senatorbritt.com/