Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and the U. S. Congress are mourning one of their own as House Administration Chairwoman and CBC member Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) died of colon cancer Saturday, April 21, 2007. She was 68.
Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, chair of the CBC, said, “History will record her as the first African-American woman to chair a full committee in the United States of House of Representatives; our hearts will revere her as a fearless leader who vowed to enhance our local and global communities through tireless service and timely advocacy.”
McDonald, a stylishly dressed and classy woman, was among the much-celebrated four new chairs attained by CBC members when the new Democratic majority came into power early this year. She was highly regarded for her work to correct voting irregularities and voter disenfranchisement, ending human trafficking, defending women’s rights across the globe, and stopping genocide in Cambodia, Darfur and other countries where human rights are threatened.