The HistoryMakers

Carol Moseley Braun was born in Chicago to Edna, a medical technician, and Joseph Moseley, a Chicago police officer, in 1947. Her parents emphasized the importance of education and the necessity of hard work throughout her childhood and she learned these lessons well. A self-motivated individual even as a youth, Moseley Braun worked in the post office and in grocery stores to finance her own education after high school. Her diligence earned her a law degree from the University of Chicago, which she received with honors.

Moseley Braun worked three years as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office. Her success as a prosecutor earned her the U.S. Attorney General's Special Achievement Award. Then, in 1978, Moseley Braun was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, where she immediately earned a reputation as an uncompromising stateswoman. Her legislative legacy has been her ability to build coalitions comprised of people of all races who are committed to the same principles of efficient government. During her first election for state representative, Moseley Braun pledged to make education her top priority. She was the chief sponsor of the 1985 Urban School Improvement Act, which created parents councils at every school in Chicago. Other education legislation sponsored by Moseley Braun included a bill, introduced in 1980, which provided higher salaries for teachers and professors. After only two terms in the House, Moseley Braun was selected to become the first woman and the first African American in Illinois history to serve as assistant majority leader.

As the late Mayor Harold Washington's legislative floor leader, Moseley Braun was the chief sponsor of bills to reform education and ban discrimination in housing and private clubs. For each of her ten years in the legislature, Moseley Braun received the Best Legislator award given by the Independent Voters of Illinois - Independent Precinct Organization.

On November 3, 1993, Moseley Braun was elected to the U.S. Senate. Her victory represented the opening of a new world of opportunity to African Americans, as she was only the second African American elected to the U.S. Senate. Upon taking office, she was named to the Judiciary Committee; the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Small Business Committee. During her term, Moseley Braun was a strong champion of healthcare and education reform. In 1994, she authored the Educational Infrastructure Act, designed to channel education funds into the areas most needed by low-income communities.

Such measures emphasize Moseley Braun's tireless fight for the creation of social programs that directly address the needs of a district rather than those that merely promote a political agenda. This directness of purpose and honesty of intent are her legacies. President Bill Clinton appointed Moseley Braun ambassador to New Zealand in 1999.

Braun was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 19, 2002.