Join the Travis County Democratic Party and the Capital Area Democratic Women for CEILING BREAKERS: A Women's Equality Day celebration on Monday, August 26. Bring your squad, your best friend, daughters, sisters, colleagues, a young woman you’re mentoring or a woman that inspires you. It’s like Galentine’s in August!
We'll kick off the event with a reception, followed by a discussion with some of our favorite ceiling breakers and a screening of RBG, a documentary that takes an intimate look at the unlikely rock star Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also known as the Notorious RBG, and her early legal battles that changed the world for women.
SPEAKERS
Mayor Pro-Tem Delia Garza
Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza was first elected to Austin City Council in November 2014, as part of Austin’s first 10-1 Council. She was reelected in November 2016, and was elected by her colleagues to serve as Mayor Pro Tem in January 2019. Garza was the first Latina to serve on the City Council in Austin, and she is the first Latina to serve as Austin’s Mayor Pro Tem. She represents District 2 in Southeast Austin.
Following in her father’s footsteps, she became a firefighter, serving as one of the first Mexican-American women firefighters in the Austin Fire Department. Her entire firefighting career was spent in fire stations that serve the South Austin community, most notably Fire Station 17 on South 1st Street near Ben White Boulevard, one of the busiest stations in the city--an assignment she requested. Remaining committed to public service, Mayor Pro Tem Garza left the Austin Fire Department in 2007 to pursue a law degree and extend the reach of her advocacy. She served as an Assistant Attorney General advocating for Texas families in the Child Support Division of the Office of the Attorney General.
Mayor Pro Tem Garza's years of work as a firefighter, community advocate, and attorney for social services has afforded her extensive experience in addressing injustices, mediating competing groups and interests, and solving complex problems. She will continue to fight for working families struggling to stay in Austin and is committed to improving the lives of all Austinites.
Rep. Sheryl Cole
An accountant and attorney by training, Sheryl got her start in public life stepping up in her local PTA, and organizing community support for our schools as one of the chairs to the AISD Bond Committee in 2004.
In 2012, Austin voters passed a series of reforms and progressive proposals, except for one: affordable housing bonds. As Mayor Pro Tem and the city’s first African American woman elected to city council, Sheryl Cole led a coalition of community advocacy and service groups to place a new affordable housing package on the ballot to address affordability issues and mounting economic and racial divides. Austin voters stepped up this time, passing the bond package with 61% of the vote.
On the City Council, Sheryl was a voice for equality who had the courage to address systemic divides. Before the Supreme Court spoke out, Sheryl put forward a resolution that made Austin the first city in Texas to publicly support marriage equality. She put in place increased transparency and controls within the city and with contractors to address disparities in pay for women and people of color. And Sheryl was a champion for the hard-to-employ, leading early fights to counter discriminatory practices that prevented those who had paid their price to society reintegrate into society.
Sheryl’s strong advocacy skills with a get-things-done approach haven’t gone unnoticed. Among her many recognitions, the Austin Chronicle named her “Best Council Stewards,” the Texas Legislative Black Caucus named her “Outstanding Community Leader,” and the Travis County Democratic Party honored her in 2015 among their “Trio of Stars.”
Today, with economic divides growing and women and communities of color under political attack. Sheryl has stepped up once again as State Representative for House District 46.
County Judge Sarah Eckhardt
Sarah Eckhardt is Travis County’s first female county judge, serving since January 1, 2015. Judge Eckhardt presides over a Commissioners Court.
With deep roots in Austin and Travis County, Judge Eckhardt has dedicated her life in public service to improving access to opportunity for Travis County families for nearly two decades.
Judge Eckhardt is a leader who addresses the major issues that face Travis County residents. She works to ensure that our community is green, healthy, just and mobile through weekly Commissioners Court voting sessions, community outreach and service on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO)Transportation Policy Board, the Community Advancement Network (CAN) Board of Directors, the Texas Conference of Urban Counties (CUC) Board of Directors and Policy Committee, the Workforce Solutions Capital Area Board of Directors and as Chair of the Clean Air Coalition. As a private citizen, Judge Eckhardt serves on Texas Freedom Network’s Board of Directors.
Judge Eckhardt learned public service and a commitment to Central Texas from her mother Nadine — aide to Lyndon Johnson and Molly Ivins, as well as a mother of four — and her father, the late Congressman Bob Eckhardt. Judge Eckhardt continues this public service tradition while raising her two children in Austin public schools.
LIVING LEGEND SPONSOR LEVEL INSPIRATIONS
Rep. Senfronia Thompson was born in Booth, Texas and raised in Houston. She represents District 141, which includes Northeast Houston and Humble. As the dean of women legislators, Rep. Thompson has the distinct honor of being the longest-serving woman and African-American in Texas history. A Houston attorney, Rep. Thompson is currently serving her 24th term in the Texas House of Representatives.
Linda Chavez-Thompson was raised in Lubbock where she began her career as a union leader and later moved to San Antonio. She was elected the executive vice-president of the AFL-CIO in 1995. Her election was a "first" in many ways: She became the first woman elected an AFL-CIO officer, the first person of color of either sex elected an AFL-CIO officer, and the first Hispanic elected an AFL-CIO officer. She was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Texas in the 2010 election.
Shudde Fath is a centenarian, known as the "grande dame of the environmental movement," who spent 40 years as steward of the City of Austin's Electric Utility Commission. The trailblazer graduated with the highest honors from UT's business school in an era when women were a minority of the class, fought for equal pay at the Workforce Commission, and served as treasurer for the Save Barton Creek Association for nearly three decades.
