Margie Bright Matthews (born February 10, 1963) is a Democratic member of the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sa ...

, representing the 45th District since 2015, when she won a special election to succeed Clementa Pinckney, who was killed in the

Charleston church shooting On June 17, 2015, a mass shooting occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine African Americans were killed during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Among those people who were killed was the senior past ...

in 2015. She is an attorney who founded her own law firm. Bright Matthews was among a number of African American women from around the United States who endorsed

Hillary Rodham Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States senat ...

for President in 2016. In 2023, she joined with an Independent and three Republican women senators, calling themselves, "The Sister Senators": Sen.

Mia McLeod Mia S. McLeod (born August 19, 1968) is an independent American politician serving as a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 22nd district. She previously served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016. On June 3, ...

(I-Richland), Sen. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington), Sen. Penry Gustafson (R-Kershaw), Sen. Margie Bright-Matthews (D-Colleton), and Sen.

Sandy Senn Sandy Senn (born June 27, 1963) is an American politician. She is a member of the South Carolina Senate from the 41st District, serving since 2016. She is a member of the Republican Party. Positions Traffic Senn assured voters, "I will work t ...

(R-Charleston)."The Unexpected Women Blocking South Carolina’s Near-Total Abortion Ban
''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', Kate Zernike, May 7, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2023. They blocked male state senators from passing a bill that would ban all abortions in South Carolina. In September 2023 it was announced that "The Sister Senators" had been selected to receive the

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

Profiles in Courage Award The Profile in Courage Award is a private award given to recognize displays of courage similar to those John F. Kennedy originally described in his Profiles in Courage, book of the same name. It is given to individuals (often elected officials) wh ...

. The award was presented in an October 2023 ceremony at the

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–1963), the 35th president of the United States (1961–1963). It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighbor ...

.LeBlanc, Steve (September 19, 2023). "'Sister senators' who fought abortion ban to receive JFK Profile in Courage award". ''Los Angeles Times''. Retrieved September 19, 2023.

References

External links

Sister Senators' speeches
at

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–1963), the 35th president of the United States (1961–1963). It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighbo ...

Ceremony '' 1963 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians African-American state legislators in South Carolina Democratic Party South Carolina state senators Living people People from Walterboro, South Carolina Women in the South Carolina State Senate {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub