Wilson, Frederica, 1942-

<p>Frederica Smith Wilson (born Frederica Patricia Smith, November 5, 1942) is a politician who has been a member of the United States House of Representatives since 2011, representing Florida's 24th congressional district. Located in South Florida, Wilson's congressional district, numbered as the 17th during her first term, covers a large swath of eastern Miami-Dade County and a sliver of southern Broward County. Included within the district are most of the majority-black precincts of Miami, as well as portions of Opa-locka, North Miami, Hollywood, and Miramar. She gained national attention in early 2012 as a result of her high-profile comments on the death of Trayvon Martin.</p>

<p>Wilson is a member of the Democratic Party. The seat to which she was elected became available when the incumbent Kendrick Meek ran for a seat in the Senate in 2010.</p>

<p>Wilson is known for her large and colorful hats, of which she owns several hundred. She has gone through efforts to get Congress to lift its ban on head coverings during House sessions. That rule dates back to 1837, 80 years before the first woman took her seat in Congress.</p>

<p>Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson proudly represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District. It is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse districts in the nation and includes parts of northwest Miami-Dade and southern Broward counties.</p>

<p>Recognizing her record of service and productivity, in 2010 voters overwhelmingly elected her to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a former educator, elementary school principal, community leader, school board member, state legislator, and founder of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, Congresswoman Wilson earned a reputation as a “Voice for the Voiceless.” Her tenure in Congress, now in its fourth term, also has been marked by her signature spirit of unrelenting advocacy on behalf of the less fortunate.</p>

<p>The Florida lawmaker has continued her mission to improve the quality of life for her constituency by creating jobs with dignity, improving education, stopping home foreclosures, safeguarding Medicare and Social Security, and strengthening ties with Haiti and the Caribbean.</p>

WILSON, Frederica, a Representative from Florida; born in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, on November 5, 1942; graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Miami, Fla., 1959; B.S., Fisk University, Nashville, Tenn., 1963; M.S., University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla., 1972; elementary school principal; member of the Miami-Dade County school board; member of the Florida state house of representatives, 1998-2002; member of the Florida state senate, 2002-2010; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Twelfth and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2011-present).