Inola Henry Explained

Inola Henry (November 15, 1942 – July 26, 2009) was an educator, union leader, and American Democratic Party leader who was chair of the resolutions committee of the California Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee member, and a Superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention, where she voted for Barack Obama.^[1]

Early life

Henry was born in Henderson, Texas and grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma.^[1] She attended college at Oklahoma College for Women, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1965.^[1] In Oklahoma, she was involved in the Civil Rights Movement, taking part in sit-ins and working with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.^[2]

Education career

After graduating, Henry moved to California and began her teaching career.^[1] She taught at Normandie Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles and Gardner Street Elementary School in Hollywood.^[1] She served on the board of United Teachers Los Angeles and was chair of its political action committee. Beginning in 1990, she was a facilitator for the Student-to-Student Integration Program at Los Angeles Unified School District. She also served on the leadership of the National Education Association helping to draft policy statements.

Political career

Henry first became involved in California civic life as a co-founder of the Watts Summer Festival following the Watts riots.^{[2] [3]} She then became active in the California Democratic Party.^[2] Henry served as Lead Chair of the California Democratic Party Resolutions Committee.^[4] She was elected to the Midterm National Convention in 1978 and to the Democratic National Committee in 2000, 2004, and 2008.^[4] On the Democratic National Committee, she chaired a committee drafting statements of party principles.^[1] In 2008, she was a superdelegate from California to the 2008 Democratic National Convention,^[5] where she voted for Barack Obama.^{[1] [2] [6] [7]} In 2009, she was honored as California's 48th State Assembly district Woman of the Year.^[2]

Death

Henry died of a heart attack on July 26, 2009, at her home in Los Angeles.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Woo, Elaine. "Inola Henry dies at 66; teacher and California Democratic activist," Los Angeles Times, August 5, 2009. Accessed May 23, 2016.
2. Mulholland, Bob. "In Memoriam: Inola Henry," Los Angeles Sentinel, July 30, 2009. Accessed May 23, 2016.
3. Griffin, Cynthia E. "Watts Summer Festival: ongoing effort to highlight the positive," Our Weekly Los Angeles, August 1, 2013. Accessed May 23, 2016.
4. California Democratic Party. Resolution Number SD09.01: Honoring Inola Frances Henry, Adopted November 15, 2009. Accessed May 23, 2016.
5. Kurtzman, Laura. Associated Press. "Clinton still irked by Richardson endorsement," USA Today, April 3, 2008. Accessed May 23, 2016.
6. Zeleny, Jeff. "Obama Announces 3 Superdelegates," The Caucus: The politics and government blog of the New York Times, New York Times, May 7, 2008. Accessed May 28, 2016.
7. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/07/superdelegates.respond/index.html?iref=nextin "Superdelegates Await Clinton's Next Move,"