Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated to be the first woman Secretary of State by President William Jefferson Clinton on December 5, 1996, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 22, 1997, and sworn in the next day. She served in the position for four years and ended her service on January 20, 2001.

Albright was born Marie Jean “Madlenka” Korbel on May 15, 1937, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her father, Josef, was a member of the Czechoslovak Foreign Service and served as press attaché in Belgrade, Yugoslavia and later became Ambassador to Yugoslavia. After the communist coup in 1948, the family immigrated to Denver, Colorado. Albright Americanized her name to Madeleine, became a U.S. citizen in 1957, and earned a B.A. in political science with honors from Wellesley College in 1959. She earned the Ph.D. in Public Law and Government at Columbia University in 1976.

Albright served as chief legislative assistant to Senator Edmund Muskie (D-Me) from 1976 to 1978. From 1978 to 1981, she served as a staff member in the White House under President Jimmy Carter and on the National Security Council under National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski.

In 1982 she was appointed Research Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and Director of its Women in Foreign Service Program. In 1993 she was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations by President Clinton and served in the position until her appointment as Secretary of State in 1996.

As Secretary of State, Albright promoted the expansion of NATO eastward into the former Soviet bloc nations and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons from the former Soviet republics to rogue nations, successfully pressed for military intervention under NATO auspices during the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo in 1999, supported the expansion of free-mark     et democratization and the creation of civil societies in the developing world, favored the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol on Global Climate Change, and furthered the normalization of relations with Vietnam.

Office of the Historian         https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/albright-madeleine-korbel

Recently the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was finally passed by the Congress and signed into law by President Biden.  The provisions of the bill are a good start for dealing with the problem but there is so much more that needs to be done.  April is National Sexual Assault Prevention Awareness Month.  It is particularly important to focus on this problem this year because the numbers of sexual assault and domestic violence have increased during the pandemic.  Please read this graphic to familiarize yourself with the ways in which this violence can be dealt with.

There is no end to the contributions women have made over the centuries and often without the recognition and praise they deserve.  We honor them this month, the named and the unnamed.

        TELL FACEBOOK WE WON’T BACK DOWN

      THEY ARE CENSORING VITAL INFORMATION

Erin went to Meta Facebook office in Washington D.C. and attempted to hand-deliver Reproaction’s petition and letter calling on Facebook to stop suppressing our fact-based information on abortion. We were told they would not accept our letter. Well, we are not accepting that. See the action here and tell Facebook you won't accept pro-choice content suppression either.

Our work on calling out Facebook for running ads for unproven, unethical “abortion pill reversal” was referenced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) in his letter to Facebook condemning anti-abortion suppression of medically accurate, pro-abortion content.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the most up-to-date information on what we’re up to and how you can get involved.

www.emilyslist.org

Our vision is a government that reflects the people it serves, and decision makers who genuinely and enthusiastically fight for greater opportunity and better lives for the Americans they represent. We will work for larger leadership roles for Democratic pro-choice women in our legislative bodies and executive seats so that our families can benefit from the open-minded, productive contributions that women have consistently made in office.

“…Every day. Every election victory. We are helping to put women into office who have the power to put progressive change to work…”

- Ellen R. Malcolm, Founder and Chair

Run to Win Candidate Trainings

Built on the idea that you don’t need a Ph.D. or years of political experience to get involved, Run to Win trains women interested in running for office from the ground up.

This year, we’ll be hosting a variety of online trainings for women who are thinking about running for office, including monthly webinars, panel discussions, and the EMILY’s List Ignite Change Fellowship. These trainings will guide you through the basic nuts and bolts of planning a run for office: The questions to ask yourself, the things to start thinking about, and the steps you can take to get there. Tip: The most important thing is to be willing to learn and ask questions.

The Ignite Change Fellowship is an nine-week virtual training initiative designed for community leaders, organizers, and advocates to develop their political skills and confidence. Learn more about the Ignite Change Fellowship here. 

Check out our regularly updated training schedule and sign up to get more information as training dates are confirmed.

If you're interested in attending a training, sign up for the Run to Win campaign to be notified of trainings as they’re announced. You can also check back on this page or click on individual upcoming trainings to sign up.

No matter where you are in your campaign, there's an EMILY's List webinar that can help you strategize and think creatively.