Inola Henry (November 15, 1942 – July 26, 2009) was an educator, union leader, and American

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

leader who was chair of the resolutions committee of the

California Democratic Party The California Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in Sacramento. With 43.5% of the state's registered voters as of 2018, the Democratic Party has the highest number of r ...

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

member, and a

Superdelegate In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...

to the

2008 Democratic National Convention The 2008 Democratic National Convention was a quadrennial presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party where it adopted its national platform and officially nominated its candidates for president and vice president. The conventi ...

, where she voted for Barack Obama.Woo, Elaine
"Inola Henry dies at 66; teacher and California Democratic activist,"
''Los Angeles Times'', August 5, 2009. Accessed May 23, 2016.

Early life

Henry was born in

Henderson, Texas Henderson is a city and the county seat of Rusk County, Texas, in Northeast Texas. Its population was 13,271 at the 2020 census. Henderson is named for James Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas. The city has functioned as a major cro ...

and grew up in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...

. She attended college at

Oklahoma College for Women The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) is a public liberal arts college in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is the only public college in Oklahoma with a strictly liberal arts–focused curriculum and is a member of the Council of Public ...

, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1965. In Oklahoma, she was involved in the Civil Rights Movement, taking part in sit-ins and working with the

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC, often pronounced ) was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emerging in 1960 from the student-led sit-ins at segrega ...

.Mulholland, Bob
"In Memoriam: Inola Henry,"
''Los Angeles Sentinel'', July 30, 2009. Accessed May 23, 2016.

Education career

After graduating, Henry moved to California and began her teaching career. She taught at Normandie Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles and Gardner Street Elementary School in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. She served on the board of

United Teachers Los Angeles United Teachers Los Angeles is the main representative of certified, non-administrative staff in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Prior to 1970, primary and secondary school teachers in Los Angeles were chiefly represented by a local of ...

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 Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) is a public school district in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the largest public school system in California in terms of number of students and the 2nd largest public school district in ...

. 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. She then became active in the California Democratic Party. Henry served as Lead Chair of the California Democratic Party Resolutions Committee.California Democratic Party
Resolution Number SD09.01: Honoring Inola Frances Henry
Adopted November 15, 2009. Accessed May 23, 2016. She was elected to the Midterm National Convention in 1978 and to the

in 2000, 2004, and 2008. On the

, she chaired a committee drafting statements of party principles. In 2008, she was a

superdelegate In American politics, a superdelegate is an unpledged delegate to the Democratic National Convention who is seated automatically and chooses for themselves for whom they vote. These Democratic Party superdelegates (who make up slightly under 15 ...

from California to the

, where she voted for Barack Obama."Superdelegates Await Clinton's Next Move,"
''CNN'', May 8, 2008. Accessed May 23, 2008. In 2009, she was honored as California's 48th State Assembly district Woman of the Year.

Death

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henry, Inola 1942 births 2009 deaths University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma alumni Schoolteachers from California 20th-century American women educators African-American schoolteachers California Democrats African-American women in politics Activists from California Women in California politics People from Henderson, Texas Politicians from Los Angeles 20th-century American educators 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American educators 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women