Valdenia Camille "Val" Winn (born December 7, 1950) is an American
Democratic member of the
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafti ...
, representing the 34th district. She has served since 2001.
Since 1972, Winn has worked as a professor at
Kansas City Kansas Community College
Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) is a public two year community college in Wyandotte County, Kansas, United States. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a commission of the North Central Association and the K ...
. Dr. Winn currently serves as the Vice President of the Kansas City Kansas Public Schools Board of Education.
Early life and education
Winn received a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education (1972), a Master's in History, and a PhD (1994) History from the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...
.
Career
Winn is currently the chairman/treasurer for the Northeast Coalition, treasurer for the Northeast Cooperative Council, and a member of the Struggler's Hill/Roots Neighborhood Association.
She is a member of the Governor's Council on Travel & Tourism, and a previous member of the Health for All Kansas Steering Commission, Kansas Incorporated Strategic Planning Steering Committee, Governor's Council on Development of Including Kansas, and Kansas Sesquicentennial Steering Commission.
In March 2015, Republicans proposed ejecting her from the legislature, after she'd referred to actions taken by Republican colleagues as "racist."
[Black state lawmaker could be expelled for calling GOP colleagues "racist"]
'' CBS News''. Jake Miller, June 19, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2022. The bill would have denied lower in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. Winn, the ranking Democrat on the committee considering the proposed legislation explained her objections to it. "This is a racist, sexist, fear-mongering bill." "I would like first to apologize to the progressively-minded people of Kansas who are appalled that we are turning back the hands of time." She characterized the proponents as employing, "Jim Crow tactics, once again making Kansas a laughingstock." She apologized, "...to the students and their parents whose lives are being hijacked by the racist bigots who support this bill."
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Elections
From 2008 through 2020, Winn had no opposition in the primaries or in the general elections. In 2015, she also ran for Kansas City Kansas Public Schools Board, winning a four-year term.
Committee membership
* Health and Human Services
* Education
* Higher Education (Ranking Member)
* Joint Committee on Children's Issues
* Joint Committee on Economic Development
Major campaign donors
Top donors to Winn's 2008 campaign:Follow the Money - 2008 Campaign Contributions
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*1. Winn, Valdenia $1,684
*2. Kansans for Lifesaving Cures $750
*3. Kansas Contractors Assoc $600
*4. Carpenters District Council of Kansas City $500
*5. Astrazeneca $500
References
External links
Kansas Legislature - Valdenia Winn
Project Vote Smart profile
Kansas Votes profile
State Surge - Legislative and voting track record
* Follow the Money campaign contributions:
*
2002
2004
2006
2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winn, Valdenia
Democratic Party members of the Kansas House of Representatives
1950 births
Living people
Women state legislators in Kansas
University of Kansas alumni
Politicians from Kansas City, Kansas
African-American women in politics
African-American state legislators in Kansas
21st-century American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century African-American women
21st-century African-American politicians
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women