Karen Bass

Congresswoman Karen Bass represented California’s 37th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 through her resignation in 2022 to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles (112th-117th Congresses). Bass served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, where she was the chair of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights. She also served on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. In addition, Bass served on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations for the duration of her time in Congress. As chair of that subcommittee, Bass acted to build coalitions and support economic growth and partnerships with the African Countries. Bass also helped pass the Equality Act of 2020, which would have provided consistent and explicit anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people across key areas of life, including employment and housing. Before her tenure in Congress, Bass served as the 67th speaker of the California state assembly, the first African American woman in that position. Bass graduated from California State Dominguez Hills and the University of Southern California’s School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program.