State Sen. Geraldine F. Thompson (District 12) qualified on Thursday to run for re-election to the Florida Legislature. She officially entered the race on the same morning of a special Juneteenth Breakfast in Orlando, where she and more than 100 others commemorated Juneteenth and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“Each of us must commit to continuing the struggle to bring about equality for our fellow citizens in this country,” Thompson said, shortly after hosting the Juneteenth event at the historic Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture. “This is what motivates me as a member of the Florida Senate.”
Thompson was elected to the Senate in 2012 after serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 2006-2012, where she held a leadership position as the Democratic Leader Pro Tempore from 2008-2010. Previously, she had served on the Florida Commission on Human Relations, from 1987 to 2001.
The Senator has received numerous honors throughout the state and nation to include: the Florida Education Association (FEA) Mary McLeod Bethune Humanitarian Award; the 2013 National Education Association (NEA) Mary Hatwood Futrell Award for championing policy and legislation that defends, fosters, and ensures women’s rights; and the 2014 Florida League of Cities Legislative Appreciation Award.
She is a board member of the Orlando Children’s Trust; founding president of the Association to Preserve African American Society, History and Tradition; and the Florida Director for the National Foundation of Women Legislators. Thompson is also the founder of the Wells’ Built Museum of African American History and Culture in Orlando.
