U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro to headline Democratic Party state event
by January 14, 2016 12:25 pm 86 views
The Democratic Party of Arkansas announced Thursday that U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, will be the special guest speaker at the 2016 Jimmie Lou Fisher – Lottie Shackelford Dinner.
The event will be held at 7 p.m., March 4, 2016, in the Grand Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock. Tickets are $85 each and available for purchase online.
Castro was born in San Antonio, Texas. A second generation Mexican American, Castro graduated with honors from Stanford University, attended Harvard Law School, and served five terms in the Texas legislature where he helped pushed legislative reforms in the areas of mental health, teen pregnancy, and juvenile justice.
In 2012, Joaquin was elected to serve in the U.S House of Representatives as representative of Texas Congressional District 20, which is the main district for San Antonio and Bexar County where he serves on the House Armed Services Committee, as well as the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has also been named Chief Deputy Whip for House Democrats, charged with assisting in rallying members around important legislation.
Joaquin is married to Anna Flores, and they have one daughter, Andrea Elena Castro. Joaquin’s identical twin brother, Julián Castro, served three terms as Mayor of San Antonio until President Barack Obama appointed him as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2014.
The annual Democratic Women’s Dinner highlights issues that matter to Arkansas women. Jimmie Lou Fisher and Lottie Shackelford have blazed the trail for Arkansas women. Fisher was the second woman elected to a constitutional office in Arkansas and served 22 years as State Treasurer. She was the first woman to run for Governor of Arkansas as a major party nominee.
Lottie Shackelford was the first woman elected Mayor of Little Rock, served as chair of the Democratic Party of Arkansas and is the longest serving vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. President Clinton appointed her to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, making her the first African American woman to serve in that capacity. In 2014, Shackelford was elected chair of the National Democratic Women’s Caucus.
Previous honorees include the Honorable Jimmie Lou Fisher, the Honorable Lottie Shackelford, The Honorable Mary Louise Williams, the Honorable Kathy Webb, and the Honorable Johnnie Roebuck.