Lucy McBath

Lucy McBath
Personal details
Born (1960-06-01) June 1, 1960
Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Ron Davis (divorced)
Children 2
Education Virginia State University (BA)
Website Campaign website

Lucia K. McBath (born June 1, 1960) is an American gun control advocate from the state of Georgia. Her son Jordan Davis was shot and killed in November 2012 in a controversial act of gun violence, believed to be a hate crime. Davis was murdered in the height of the Black Lives Matter movement. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the party's nominee for the 2018 election to the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 6th congressional district.

Early life and education

McBath was born in Joliet, Illinois, U.S., on June 1, 1960.[1][2] Her father, Lucien Holman, was a dentist who owned The Black Voice, an African-American newspaper, and served as president of the NAACP's Illinois chapter. Her mother, Wilma, worked as a nurse. Lucy also has a sister, Lori.[3]

McBath attended Virginia State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science in 1982.[4]

Career

After college, McBath worked as an intern for Douglas Wilder.[4] In the 1990s, she became a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines, and relocated to Atlanta, where Delta is headquartered.[2]

In 2012, McBath's 17-year-old son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed following an argument at a gas station about loud music. Following his death, she joined Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America as a national spokeswoman. She attended a speech on gun violence at the White House given by President Barack Obama,[5] and supported the My Brother's Keeper Challenge.[6] She appeared in a 2015 documentary film, 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets, that explored the shooting.[7] Joining the Mothers of the Movement, McBath traveled around the United States to campaign for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election,[8] and spoke on her behalf at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[9][10] She continued her advocacy by helping defeat legislation in the Florida Legislature that would expand campus carry and created a foundation, Champion In The Making Legacy, to help high school graduates continue their education and training.[11] While a variety of factors contributed to McBath's decision to run for office, she credits a breakfast meeting with Georgia House Representative Renitta Shannon, who urged her to run, with convincing her.[12]

After initially planning to run for the Georgia House of Representatives against incumbent Republican Sam Teasley in the 2018 elections, she decided after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting to instead challenge Karen Handel, the incumbent Republican in the United States House of Representatives representing Georgia's 6th congressional district.[2][5][13][14] In the Democratic Party primary election on May 22, McBath led all challengers with an unofficial count of 36% of the vote. She faced Kevin Abel, the second place finisher, in a runoff election on July 24.[15] She defeated Abel with 53.7 percent of the vote.[16] She will challenge Handel in the general election in November.[16]

Personal life

McBath lives in Marietta, Georgia. She has survived two bouts of breast cancer.[17] She is divorced.[18] In addition to her son Jordan, who died in 2012, she had a son who died in 1993.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Lucy McBath's Biography". Des Moines, IA: Vote Smart. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Chavez, Nicole (May 20, 2018). "Lucy McBath refused to be quiet after her son's murder. Now she's running for Congress". CNNPolitics. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  3. ↑ Mayer, Madhu (February 19, 2014). "Former Joliet resident morn's loss of son, lack of justice". The Times Weekly. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  4. 1 2 King, Jamilah. "A White Man Shot and Killed Her Only Son. Now Lucy McBath Is Running So It Doesn't Happen to Anyone Else". Mother Jones (March/April 2018). Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Bluestein, Greg (March 6, 2018). "High-profile gun control advocate enters Georgia's 6th District race: Lucy McBath is challenging U.S. Rep. Karen Handel". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  6. ↑ "To Raise, Love, and Lose a Black Child". The Atlantic. October 8, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  7. ↑ Blair, Ian F. (June 23, 2015). "'3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets' Examines the Murder of Jordan Davis". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Mothers Fueled by Personal Loss Turn Focus to Political Change". NBC News. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ Drabold, Will (July 26, 2016). "DNC: Meet The Mothers Of The Movement". Time. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  10. ↑ Torres, Kristina (July 26, 2016). "Marietta mom of shooting victim to address gun violence Tuesday at DNC". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ Jaimee Swift (June 13, 2017). "Jordan Davis' Mother, Lucia McBath, Speaks On Gun Reform And Jordan's Legacy | HuffPost". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  12. ↑ Fulwood III, Sam. "There are black women not named Oprah running for office across the country". ThinkProgress. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  13. ↑ "'To not do anything is a tragedy': Mom who lost son to gun violence runs for Congress". ABC News. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  14. ↑ Williams, Vanessa. "Citing Parkland shooting, anti-gun-violence activist is running for Congress in Georgia". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ Ruiz, Sarah. "Gun Reform Advocate Lucy McBath Heads To Runoff For Georgia House Seat". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  16. 1 2 Ruiz-Grossman, Sarah (July 24, 2018). "Gun Reform Advocate Lucy McBath Wins Democratic Nod For Georgia House Seat". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  17. 1 2 Bonds Staples, Gracie (April 2, 2014). "'God has told me I will be OK'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  18. ↑ Cooper Eastman, Susan (February 24, 2014). "Parents of dead teen vow to fight Florida's self-defense law". Reuters. Retrieved May 24, 2018.

Further reading

  • McBath, Lucy (April 9, 2018). ""A New Path Forward Has Opened": How My Son's Murder Inspired Me To Run For Congress". Vanity Fair.
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