Leading by Example

Congresswoman Grace Flores Napolitano never dreamt that she would hold public office, but she could no longer overlook the problems in her community— so she became part of the solution.

Brownsville, Texas-native Grace Flores Napolitano, 70, describes her childhood as “non-descript,” poor. “There was deprivation,” she says. “But I didn’t know I was poor.” Her parents divorced when she was young and Napolitano and her brother were raised single-handedly by her mother who had been a teacher in her native Mexico but was forced to work menial jobs in the United States because she didn’t speak English.

Perhaps it was these early conditions that inspired Napolitano to dedicate the past two decades of her life in giving a voice to those who have none by serving first on the Norwalk, Calif., City Council, then on, the California Assembly, and now as Congresswoman representing the state’s 38th District. Though she now carries a strong reputation as a champion for small business, women, economic expansion and job creation, the path to her position was anything but easy.

Napolitano married after high school at age 18, moved to California with her husband, and had five children by age 23. Things were different then, she says. Latinas didn’t have the career options they do now, and few, if any, role models existed to encourage the younger generations. Napolitano worked as a secretary, and, over time, she climbed her way through the ranks at Ford Motor Company. Though she retired from her career at Ford, she has never stopped working.

Known for her drive, vision and dedication to helping her community, Napolitano’s peers prodded her to run for office—a position she had never considered. “Everyone kept wanting me to run,” she says. “They believed I would be able to open the doors for tax payers.” To learn the ropes, Napolitano ran someone else’s campaign with a team of 20, then hired a consultant and hit the pavement to inform people about her platform and to sell her ideas.

In 1986, Napolitano won her position on the Norwalk City Council by a 28 votes, but four years later she won re-election by the highest margin in city history. From there, she continued, just as she had in her career at Ford, by climbing the ranks to the California Assembly in 1992. By the end of her tenure, she had created and chaired the committee on International Trade, served as chair of the women’s caucus and as vice-chair of the Latino caucus.

She was elected to congress in 1998. For Napolitano the key to tackling such lofty goals and forging new paths is to believe in yourself. “I had to get people to understand how dedicated I can be and not to judge by the outside. As a woman, a minority and a democrat, I had three strikes against me,” she says jokingly.

Now in her fourth term, she continues her impressive and always ambitious record by taking on such efforts as conservation, water quality, international relations and mental health concerns. At the beginning of the 108th Congress, she founded and serves as co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, which seeks to improve mental health services for veterans, provide mental health parity in health insurance and address the mental health needs of adolescents, minorities and seniors. Also, as chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), she will help direct the legislative, policy and political direction of the CHC.

Still, providing representation isn’t always about legislation and policy, Napolitano says. To her, the constituents in her district come first. “That’s my job,” she says. “I’m there to help them.” That means showing respect, listening to problems whether they are federal, state or local, and doing anything within her power to find a solution.
“One thing I never do is give up,” she says. “If we can’t get it done one way, we’ll try another.”

Within her district, she seeks to bring in new businesses, higher wage jobs and training funds. She took on the issue of teen suicide when she learned that approximately one in every three Latina adolescents has “seriously considered” suicide. In addition, one of her most celebrated achievements was ensuring that radioactive land along the Colorado River—the source of one-third of Southern California’s drinking water—would be properly treated and cleaned rather than ignored or shoved off as the responsibility of a private corporation that would purchase the land.

With five children, 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild, it is easy for Napolitano to prioritize future generations and remember that her constituents also want the best for their children and families.

Her own children, in fact, are her proudest accomplishment, she says. The voting public, however, would likely say she has many (that’s why she has never lost an election). Through her years of service, Napolitano has overcome adversity, defied the odds and become for other Latinas the role model that she never had.

By Diana A. Terry-Azios