Eboni-Rose Thompson, a resident of Ward 7 in the District, is by all measures a seasoned politician.
She served as an advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 7 before her election to the D.C. State Board of Education as the ward’s representative in 2020. She was re-elected to a second term in 2024.
Despite her experience, Thompson jumped at the chance to participate in the opening activities of the Barbara Jordan-Dolores Huerta Young Elected Officials (YEO) Women’s Leadership Program of the People for the American Way Foundation from Feb. 6-Feb. 8.
“I appreciate being in a space with other women of color elected officials,” Thompson, 36, said. “Many people don’t understand what you must deal with as a woman in elected office. It is good to be with women who support you and identify with the same issues that you are dealing with.”
Thompson is one of the 21 local elected officials—including D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) — participating in the six-month program in the People for the American Way Foundation’s office in Northwest.
Co-named after the late former Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and National Farm Workers Association co-founder Delores Huerta, the program aims to educate young women on addressing the challenges of public office, fostering professional growth and amplifying women’s leadership within the national progressive movement.
Growing Women in Politics
The Jordan-Huerta YEO Women’s Leadership Program comes as the number of women being elected to political positions increases, having grown significantly over the past decade.
The Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) reports in 2025 at least 2,450 women will serve in state legislatures. This represents 33.2% of all state legislative seats nationwide.
The previous record was 2,431, first set in 2024. CAWP revealed 32.3% of elected offices in municipalities are female.
Raquel Jones, vice president of campaigns and programs at People for the American Way Foundation, said the Jordan-Huerta program is designed to give women who are elected office holders the tools they need to succeed and impact their communities.
“Investing in the leadership of women elected officials of different backgrounds empowers this next generation of leaders, educates communities across the U.S. about the needs and priorities of women in America, and supports the evolution of their political power,” said Jones, 32.
The program participants explored such topics as reproductive rights, civil rights and fascism, social media and digital landscape, environmental leadership and safe schools. Subjects such as strategies for fundraising and campaign management, interacting with the media and tactics for leading in male dominated spaces were also explored.
Minnie Diallo serves as a member of the Lathrop, California City Council and is its first Black. She said participating in the program “was a perfect opportunity.”
“As the first Black person on the council, I have had to overcome a lot of hurdles,” Diallo, 40, said. “I had to fight to get Juneteenth recognized. I had to fight to get Black History recognized. I need to learn to fight back properly.”
Diallo added that the program would contribute to her becoming “a more effective leader [and] a better public speaker.”
With continued racism and sexism,Thompson emphasized that the program can contribute to her combating challenges and achieving her goals in office.
“Women elected, especially those of us who are women of color, are working to successfully serve our communities through systems that were built to exclude us and ensure we are anything but successful,” she said. “At a time when in our nation where we can feel this most aggressively reinforced, we need spaces like this fellowship where we can build the tools to do our own work and the relationships to preserve our humanity.”
