Strickland, Marilyn, 1962-

<p>Marilyn Strickland (born September 25, 1962) is a South Korean-born American politician and businesswoman who is the U.S. Representative for Washington's 10th congressional district. The district is based in the state capital of Olympia, and also includes much of eastern Tacoma.</p>

<p>A member of the Democratic Party, she began her first term on January 3, 2021. Strickland previously served as the 38th Mayor of Tacoma from 2010 to 2018. She is the first member of the United States Congress who is of both Korean and African American heritage, and the first African-American member elected from Washington. Strickland is also one of the first three Korean-American women ever elected to Congress, beginning her term on the same day as California Republicans Young Kim and Michelle Steel.</p>

<p>Strickland was born on September 25, 1962 in Seoul, South Korea, the daughter of Inmin Kim, a Korean mother and African-American father, Willie Strickland. Strickland and her family moved to Tacoma, Washington in 1967 after her father was stationed at Fort Lewis. She was raised in the South End neighborhood of Tacoma and attended Mount Tahoma High School. Strickland earned a degree in business from the University of Washington and an MBA from Clark Atlanta University.</p>

STRICKLAND, Marilyn, a Representative from Washington; born in Seoul, South Korea, September 25, 1962; graduated from Mount Tahoma High School, Tacoma, Wash., 1980; B.A., University of Washington, Seattle, Wash., 1984; M.B.A., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga., 1992; marketing executive; staff, member of the board of trustees, Tacoma public library, Tacoma, Wash.; member of the Tacoma, Wash. city council, 2008–2009; Mayor of Tacoma, Wash., 2010–2017; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Seventeenth Congress (January 3, 2021–present).

<p>Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland proudly represents Washington’s 10th Congressional District, which covers Pierce County, Thurston County and parts of Mason County. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Strickland is the first African-American to represent Washington State at the federal level, and one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress in its 230-year history.</p>

<p>Raised in the South Sound, Strickland graduated from Tacoma Public Schools and earned her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Washington. She went on to earn an MBA from Clark-Atlanta University, a Historically Black College and University.</p>

<p>Strickland’s father, who fought in World War II and Korea, met her mother while he was stationed in Korea after the war. Strickland’s parents endured discrimination and hardships that she could never imagine. They wanted her to have opportunities they were denied and taught her to work hard, fight for what’s right, serve the community, and to stand up for the underdog. Those values continue to inspire Congresswoman Strickland every day as she advocates for Washington’s 10th Congressional District in Congress.</p>