Yvonne Brathwaite Burke
Yvonne Brathwaite, Los Angeles 1966
Audio[1] Mrs. Burke discusses an informal policy of silence that many African American parents adopted to protect their children from racism.
Congresswoman Yvonne Brathwaite Burke was the first African American woman to represent the West Coast, serving from 1973-1978. She was Los Angeles County Supervisor from 1992-2008. Appointed by Governor Jerry Brown, she was the first female and first African American supervisor. Early on she was the first African American to serve as Vice-Chairperson of the 1972 Democratic National Convention. Burke fought for equal opportunities for minority-owned business. Her husband, William Burke, was an aide to Billy Mills and created the Los Angeles Marathon.[1] Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, interview by Keith Rice, digital recording, 2014, Oral History Program in the Tom & Ethel Bradley Center, California State University, Northridge.
