Gwendolyn Sawyer Cherry (August 27, 1923 – February 7, 1979) was an American politician in the state of Florida. She was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 106th district. The first African-American woman to win election to the Florida Legislature, she served from 1970 until 1979.

Early life

Cherry was born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Her father, William Sawyer, was one of the first African American doctors in the city. She attended

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

(FAMU) where she received her undergraduate degree and, later, her Juris Doctor. She was a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority. She taught in the Miami Public Schools for more than 20 years, and she also served as a law professor at FAMU. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1965, and she became the first African-American woman to practice law in Dade County.

Political career

Cherry was a high school science teacher before deciding to return to school to earn a law degree from

Florida A&M University Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...

. As an African-American woman, much of her career was pioneering. Cherry was a founder of the National Association of Black Women Attorneys. She was a Democrat. After careers as a teacher and a lawyer, Cherry was elected to the Florida House in 1970, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as a state legislator in Florida. During her four terms, she introduced the Equal Rights Amendment and the

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., and sometimes referred to as MLK Day) is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Mond ...

state holiday, chaired the state's committee for

International Women's Year International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established. Histo ...

in 1978, and co-authored ''Portraits in Color: the Lives of Colorful Negro Women'' with Pauline Willis and Ruby Thomas. She also chaired the Minority Affairs Committee for the Democratic National Convention and the National Women's Political Caucus in 1972 while serving as legal counsel for the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

(NOW)'s Miami chapter.

Legacy

Cherry died in a Tallahassee car accident in February 1979. In his eulogy, former state governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham called Gwen Cherry "a champion for the rights of all people and a voice of reason and concern." She was inducted, posthumously, into the

Florida Women's Hall of Fame The Florida Women's Hall of Fame is an honor roll of women who have contributed to life for citizens of the US state of Florida. An awards ceremony for the hall of fame was first held in 1982 and recipient names are displayed in the Florida State ...

in 1986. FAMU's College of Law dedicated a lecture hall in her name.

Miami-Dade County, Florida Miami-Dade County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. The county had a population of 2,701,767 as of the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Florida and the seventh-most populous county in ...

named a park after her which dedicates itself to helping educate children and helping at-risk youths. The Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association (GSCBWLA) formed in 1985 to address the concerns of women lawyers in the community. While it was originally called the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division Dade County Chapter, it was decided in 2005 to be renamed in Cherry's honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cherry, Gwen Florida lawyers Politicians from Miami Florida A&M University alumni Florida A&M University faculty Democratic Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Women state legislators in Florida African-American women in politics Road incident deaths in Florida 1923 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American politicians African-American state legislators in Florida 20th-century American women politicians American women academics 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians