First Black woman bids to become Calif. governor

By David Muhammad | Last updated: May 30, 2006 - 10:15:00 AM

Barbara Becnel for Governor 2006 (Official campaign site)

Barbara Becnel

RICHMOND, Calif. (Finalcall.com - She helped make the case of Stanley “Tookie” Williams an international movement and now she is vying to replace the man responsible for his execution.

Barbara Becnel is a Democratic candidate for governor of California, hoping to unseat Arnold Schwarzenegger, who refused to grant clemency to Mr. Williams even as evidence mounted that his conviction was flawed.

“If I win, I will be the first Black female governor in the entire history of the United States,” Ms. Becnel told The Final Call.

The Democratic primary is June 6, where Ms. Becnel is running against two candidates spending millions of dollars in their election bid. Ms. Becnel’s grassroots campaign includes energizing the majority of residents who ignore the polls on election day, including young voters ages 18-30, urban voters and ex-felons who wrongfully believe their right to vote has been terminated.

“I have decided to run for two important reasons: The people of California deserve a real choice when they vote for a political leader and they should not have to vote for candidates who do not fundamentally support the issues that really matter to them,” she explained.

In a state that has the most inmates in the country and where the salaries of prison guards are twice as much as that of teachers, Ms. Becnel is making criminal justice a key component of her campaign. But although she is widely known for championing the cause of Mr. Williams, she has also excited voters by highlighting issues the other candidates are not addressing.

“Across the state, funding is being cut for programs that support the low-income elderly, homeless, those seeking substance abuse treatment and people who need mental health care,” she added. “The most vulnerable people and locations in this state are being damaged in order to maintain tax rates that favor the richest citizens and corporations in California.”

An author, activist, manager, and community leader, Ms. Becnel worked as a public policy expert in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. She has written more than 100 newspaper and magazine articles as well as several books about parenting and overcoming drug addiction. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize along with Stanley “Tookie” Williams for their series of children’s books that encouraged youth to stay away from gangs and drugs.

After earning a B.A. in Economics from Adelphi University, she attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as part of its doctoral program in Quantitative Economics and did post-graduate work at the University of Chicago as a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow. In 2001, she was awarded the Woman of the Year by the California State Legislature.

“Californians should not have to choose between candidates who say they are from different parties and believe in different principles, but behave as though there is really one political party with two factions,” Ms. Becnel remarked. “The electorate should not have to select from the lesser of two evils when they walk into a voting booth.”

After the execution of Mr. Williams on December 13, 2005, Ms. Becnel met with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan at his Phoenix home to discuss her gubernatorial campaign.

“During my talk with the Minister about my decision to run for governor, he gave me some profound advice. He suggested that I rethink my view of what constitutes basic civil rights,” she shared, “and see those rights for what they really are: fundamental human rights to which all people are entitled.”

(For more information, visit her campaign’s website at www.VoteBarbaraBecnel-Gov.com.)

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