On November 3, 1992, Velma Veloria is elected to the Washington State Legislature. She is the first Filipina elected to a state legislature in the continental United States. She will serve for 12 years (1992-2004) as State Representative for Southeast Seattle's 11th District.
Veloria is a long time community activist involved in issues of education, trade development, and healthcare. She has advocated for women's rights and worked for the termination of the mail order bride system and in the fight against domestic violence. She is married to Alonzo Suson, well-known community and labor activist.
In her first term of office in the state legislature, Veloria was the only woman in the group of five Asian Americans serving in Olympia, along with Gary Locke, Art Wang, Paul Shinn, and Stan Fleming. Veloria served as co-Chair of the Economic Development and the Housing and Trade committees, and on the Finance and Rules committees.
Sources:
Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) and Cynthia Mejia-Giudici Phone Interview with State Representative Veloria, June 1999; Trevor Griffey and Stefanie Johnson interview with Velma Veloria, October 26, 2004, Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project website accessed on June 24, 2006 (http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/veloria.htm). Note: This entry was corrected and updated on June 24, 2006.
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