Maya Rupert

Maya Rupert (born February 4, 1981) is an American political strategist, writer, and advocate.

Rupert in 2020

She frequently writes on the intersection of race, gender, culture, and politics, and has written for numerous publications including The New York Times,[1] The Atlantic,[2] Slate,[3] Salon,[4][5] and The Washington Post. Rupert contributed a piece to the anthology How I Resist: Activism and Hope for a New Generation, released in 2018. The collection of essays features pieces celebrities and authors and all proceeds were donated to the ACLU.

Career

In August 2018, Rupert was named Executive Director of Opportunity First, a PAC founded by former Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro.[6] Before that, Rupert worked at the Center for Reproductive Rights as the Senior Director for Policy and Managing Director for the D.C. office.[7] Prior to that, she was a Senior Policy Advisor for Secretary Castro at HUD.[8] Before joining HUD, she was the Policy Director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights.[9] Rupert has credited the fact that her sister identifies as queer as one of the reasons she worked in the LGBT movement.[10] Previously, Rupert was an associate with Sidley Austin LLP in Los Angeles. In January 2019, when Julián Castro announced his candidacy for President of the United States in 2020, Rupert was named his Campaign Manager.

Awards

Rupert's HuffPost blog[11] was awarded a NABJ Salute to Excellence Award in 2012[12] and 2013[13] for her commentary. In 2017, her essay “This Cool Black Girl is Gone” was selected by Salon as one of the best essays of 2017.

In 2011, Rupert was named[14] to The Root 100, which is the annual list published by the magazine of the “100 most important black influencers between the ages of 25 and 45.”[15] She was also named[16] to Ebony magazine's annual list of 100 most influential African Americans in 2011.

She was also recognized by The Root in 2013 as one of the “young leaders” of the civil rights movement as a part of its commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.[17] In 2013, she was also honored by her alma mater U.C. Berkeley School of Law with the Thelton E. Henderson Social Justice Prize for her “commitment to…and creativity in developing legal strategies to advance social justice.”[18]

Personal life

Rupert grew up in Joshua Tree, California and attended Yucca Valley High School where she was Miss Yucca Valley 1998. In 2009, Rupert was temporarily removed from the Miss Yucca Valley website after voicing concern to then-pageant runners that the decision to hold the pageant at a private Christian high school that heavily campaigned for Prop 8 "might discourage lesbians or transgender girls from participating in the scholarship event." Rupert's name was ultimately returned to the website.[19]

Rupert graduated from Berkeley Law School in 2006[20] and U.C. Santa Barbara in 2003.[21]

Rupert currently lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. Her sister, Imani Rupert-Gordon, is Executive Director of Affinity Community Services.

References
  1. Rupert, Maya (12 May 2018). "Opinion - How a Black Feminist Became a Fan of Princesses" – via NYTimes.com.
  2. Rupert, Maya (29 May 2017). "Imagining a Black Wonder Woman". The Atlantic.
  3. Rupert, Maya (4 October 2017). "Racism Doesn't Need a Devil's Advocate". Slate Magazine.
  4. "This "cool black girl" is gone". Salon. 2 September 2017.
  5. "Abortion foes hijack racial justice: This "black genocide" argument is particularly dangerous". Salon. 27 January 2018.
  6. "Sec. Julian Castro Endorses Josh Mahony! - Josh Mahony For Congress". Josh Mahony For Congress. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  7. https://www.reproductiverights.org/profile/maya-rupert
  8. "Feds: Denying Housing Over Criminal Record May Be Discrimination". NPR.org.
  9. "The State of LGBT Equality - ACS". 23 April 2014.
  10. "25 Women To Know: Advocates For LGBT & Women's Rights". 2 April 2014.
  11. "Maya Rupert - HuffPost". www.huffpost.com.
  12. "NABJ Announces 2012 Salute to Excellence Winners - National Association of Black Journalists". www.nabj.org.
  13. "NABJ Congratulates the 2013 Salute to Excellence Winners - National Association of Black Journalists". www.nabj.org.
  14. Staff, The Root. "Celebrating The Root 100: A Slideshow". The Root.
  15. "The Root 100: A Who's Who Of Black America". NPR.org.
  16. "NCLR Federal Policy Director Maya Rupert one of Ebony Magazine's 'Power 100' - Gay Lesbian Bi Trans News Archive". Windy City Times.
  17. Crosley, Hillary. "March on Washington: The Young Leaders". The Root.
  18. https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/thelton-e-henderson-center-for-social-justice/awards/hon-thelton-e-henderson-social-justice-prize
  19. http://www.hidesertstar.com/news/article_bee97032-ebb0-5fa7-9aef282a65510b13.html
  20. ""Color Coded Justice" Lecture at UC Berkeley School of Law by Vincent Warren". Center for Constitutional Rights.
  21. "Coastlines Spring 2009". Issuu.
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