Muriel Bowser Is the First Woman to Serve Multiple Terms as Mayor of D.C.

From Oprah Magazine

• Muriel Bowser has served as the eighth Mayor of Washington, D.C. since 2015, and is the second woman to hold that position.

• She's one of the seven Black women mayors of America's 100 largest cities, along with Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

• Bowser is speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Ahead, here's what you need to know about her.

The Democratic National Convention kicks off on August 17, gathering some of the party's most prominent voices—and some voices outside the party, like Republican John Kasich. One of the anticipated speakers is Muriel Bowser, the Mayor of Washington, D.C.

"We are having a racial reckoning in our country. It's so important that those of us on every level, from those of us who are elected and everyone else, is focused on how we make our country more fair and more just," the mayor, 48, told MSNBC of her speech.

Bowser is a trailblazer in many respects. First elected in 2015, she's the first woman to serve multiple terms as mayor of Washington, D.C. She's among seven Black women to serve as mayors of America's 100 biggest cities, like Atlanta's Keisha Lance Bottoms and Chicago's Lori Lightfoot. Finally, she's also the first single mother to be the mayor of D.C.

Given that D.C. does not have representation in the Senate, the mayor of D.C. holds an especially crucial role. "As mayor, I have regular city functions that I perform, but I have things that I'm responsible for that no other mayor in America is responsible for. I'm the mayor, the county executive, and the governor for Washington, D.C.," she told CNN. According to The Washington Post, Bowser's goals for her second term in office include "increasing affordable housing, improving public education and reducing violent crime."

Here's what you need to know about the rising political star, who was once considered to be former Vice President Joe Biden's running mate.

Muriel Bowser is a lifelong D.C. resident.

She was born in 1972 to Joe, a facilities manager for D.C. public schools, and Joan Bowser, a nurse. With five older siblings, Bowser was the youngest by a margin—her closest sibling, Mark, was 10 when she was born.

After attending Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA for her undergraduate degree, Bowser returned to D.C. to obtain a masters from American University's School of Public Affairs. Today, Bowser and her family still live in D.C. "My folks live in Ward 5, my sister in Ward 8, two of my brothers in Ward 6 and Ward 7 and me in Ward 4. We are Washington, D.C," she said in her inauguration speech in 2015.

Bowser admitted that the city has transformed since her childhood. "The city is almost not recognizable from when I was 10 years old. When I was 10 years old, this city was dangerous. When I was 10, my world was my North Michigan Park home with my family, so you couldn't tell me that I didn't have a great life. Great family, I had a great education, and I lived in a great neighborhood where people looked out for each other," she told her alma mater, American University in 2015.

Her father, Joe Bowser, inspired her to become a politician.

In 2014, ahead of Bowser's first mayoral election, The Washington Post ran an article detailing her father's influence on her political ambition. Bowser grew up watching her father fight tirelessly on behalf of the community. An activist, Joe fought for neighbors and had extensive contacts at City Hall. "I think my father represents the best of grassroots politics," she told American University in 2015.

Community involvement clearly runs in the family: Bowser's older brother, Marvin, was the subject of a profile detailing his work for his own D.C. neighborhood.

Once elected, Bowser paid tribute to her dad in a Father's Day post. "Thank you to my dad, Joe Bowser for instilling in me a passion for people and community," she wrote on Facebook.

She adopted her daughter, Miranda, in 2018.

In 2018, Bowser adopted her daughter, Miranda Elizabeth, making her the first single mother to serve as mayor of D.C. Bowser is not married—but as this story shows, there's no one way to start a family. As of 2019, when Miranda was born, 41% of all children in D.C. were born to single parents.

Bowser began the adoption process at the age of 44. “I decided to start the adoption journey, just knowing that it was a great time in my life and I had so much to share with a baby,” she told WUSA9. “I’m really just looking forward to being able to pour a lot of love and attention and affection on a baby and help the baby grow into a wonderful Washingtonian.”

After Miranda was born, Bowser opened up about balancing her duties as mother and mayor. Normally, she strives for screen-free and work-free time in the morning. “When I’m with Miranda in the morning, that is just our time. To wake up, get her dressed, read to her in the morning, and I try not to be interrupted. That’s not always possible. We’ll make up for that time,” she told American University Radio.

However, like many parents, Bowser has had to adjust to the restrictions of quarantine. She told CNN that she's eased back on screen time rules, allowing her 2-year-old to watch more TV.

"On the weekends, it's just me and her. I moved her highchair into my little home office and I got her coloring books out, her little toy computer. It was different because normally she wouldn't be in my office and I wouldn't let her watch TV, but we had to figure out how to make that work because I had some work that I had to get done, and she adjusted it," she recalled.

Miranda's life has changed in other ways as a result of the pandemic. "She doesn't get to go to her swim lessons or ballet class, and she doesn't get to see her grandparents, which is probably the biggest downer for her and for them, and for me," Bowser told CNN. As a new quarantine activity, Miranda has taken up the harmonica.

The "Black Lives Matter" mural on the streets of D.C? She made that happen.

Bowser is responsible for Black Lives Matter Plaza, the two-block-long section of Downtown Washington, D.C. Written in striking yellow paint, the words "Black Lives Matter" run down the blocks near the White House. The statement is literally impossible to miss.

On her Instagram, Bowser posted an aerial view of the mural, which she commissioned in an effort to demand racial justice. The mural was completed in secret, overnight. “The mayor knew what she was doing. She had this planned, but she kept it low, which is what helped make it as bold as it was. You woke up, and there it was," Kenyonna Jones, one of the artists who painted the mural, told The New Yorker.

However, some Black Lives Matter activists perceived the mural as an empty gesture from the mayor. “She has done everything to discredit, disrespect or ignore us until George Floyd was murdered,” April Goggans told Politico in July. “[She’s] really portraying herself and D.C. as so progressive when it comes to policing and police brutality when she hasn't even said the names of the people who have been killed in D.C. by police.”

This summer, Mayor Bowser passed emergency policing legislation banning the use of tear gas on protestors.

During protests in D.C. and around the country earlier this year, tear gas and rubber bullets were used on protesters. On July 23, Mayor Bowser signed emergency policing legislation that the D.C. Council had approved in June, amid the protests.

CBS summarized the bill's main reforms, saying that it "bans the use of tear gas on protesters, neck restraints like the one used on George Floyd, the hiring of officers with a history of misconduct, and requires the mayor to release body-camera footage of officers who use force on civilians within 72 hours."

The law will only be in effect until October, but according to The Washington Post, the council will meet to discuss a permanent version following that period. "It's important that we have taken steps in Washington, D.C., and that Congress has a bill around policing as well. We need good, constitutional policing to keep neighborhoods safe, but our residents have to be assured that they are treated justly and fairly in our systems," Bowser said on MSNBC.

She and President Trump have clashed on Twitter.

Since her mayoral tenure began, Bowser has been an outspoken critic of President Trump. "It's so important that we have a new president that recognizes that fanning the flames of racist systems will not make our country better," Bowser said on MSNBC ahead of her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

President Trump and Bowser work in the same city, making clashes more frequent. In 2018, President Trump wanted to hold a military parade in D.C., but it was cancelled because the cost was too great. Bowser's Twitter clap-back made the news.

The officials' feud escalated in the summer of 2020, as protesters swarmed the streets of D.C. following the death of George Floyd. President Trump criticized Bowser, prompting her to craft yet another rebuttal on Twitter.

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