Coordinated By: Marguerite Bolster-Koller
Edited by: Amadou Agne
Graphic by: Henry Deng
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About this Episode:
Marguerite Bolster-Koller, an Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) student at Cornell University’s Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy, who has experience in public safety, local elections, and city government in Northern California. Recently, she had the privilege of speaking with California Secretary of State Shirley Nash Weber, Ph.D., in an engaging discussion. Weber, the first Black Secretary of State in California’s history and only the fifth African American to hold a state constitutional office in 173 years, shared how her upbringing in the segregated Jim Crow South shaped her lifelong commitment to civil rights.Â
Weber’s activism has centered on expanding civil rights, including restoring voting rights for formerly incarcerated individuals. As a former leader of the California Legislative Black Caucus, she endorsed education and criminal justice reforms, advocating for equity-driven policies on issues such as school funding, law enforcement practices, affirmative action, and restorative justice. Her unwavering dedication to fairness and equality has left a lasting impact on education, criminal justice, veterans’ rights, health, and beyond.
