Senator Thelma Harper (1940-2021)

 Former Senator Thelma Harper Tennessee's longest serving female state senator and the first black woman elected to chamber,died Thursday. Harper 80 years old, democrat from Nashville. Her passing was confirmed by member of both the Tennessee Senator and House Democratic caucuses who had been in touch with Harper's daughter, Linda. Thelma Harper entered Senate in 1989, made history serving nearly 30 years as a state senator. Her role as a mentor and mother figure in the community and signature hat helped shaped Nashvillian. Every year Thelma Harper hosted a popular Easter Egg hunt for children in Nashville, an event Linda Harper said she promised her mother she would continue. ''As the first black female Senator in Tennessee she was a trailblazer and set a tremendous example for how to advocate for your constituents. Her door was always open and she was a staunch defender of her district. Harper's political career began 1981 with her election as the Davidson County Executive Committee woman for the Tennessee Democratic Party. By 1983, she was elected to a seat on the Metro Council in Nashville. In 2000, Harper introduced presidential candidate Al Gore at the Democratic National Convention. Thelma Harper was a strong voice for her community, for justice and our most vulnerable children. Thelma Harper loved the Tennessee Senate and the Tennessee Senate loved her right back. 

source: amp.tennessean.com