Former Rep. Velma Veloria (U.S. FWN100™ '07) will be one of the speakers at the national Women’s History Month event hosted by the Washington Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission on March 4. The theme this year is: “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.”
Velma was the first Filipino American as well as the first Asian American woman to be elected to the Washington State Legislature serving 1992-2004.
The Gender and Justice Commission is chaired by Chief Justice Barbara Madsen. Its mission is to promote gender equality in the system of law and justice through:
• Sharing collective implementation about gender equity issues with all levels of state court, the legal profession, law enforcement, the educational community, and the public at large.
• Offering educational programs and examining court practices to ensure that gender bias plays no part in the treatment of parties attorneys and court employees, and that gender bias plays no part in the judicial decision making process.
• Serving as liaison between the courts and other organizations which share the Commission’s commitment to gender equality in the courts in order to identify gender equality issues and to deal with them effectively.
• Cooperating and coordinating with national and regional gender and justice programs, networks, committees, task forces, and commissions for purposes of developing and offering effective judicial education programs, and developing research projects and sharing ideas.
• Communicating the mission, goals, and developing project of the Commission and the courts to the legal and judicial community and to the public at large.
Veloria was chosen because of her commitment to public service in government, and as the first Filipina American elected in WA and with a strong legislative advocacy and track record on housing, labor issues, racial justice, and the pioneering human trafficking legislation and trade oversight matters.