{{Short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Neva Walker |image = |caption = |state_house = Minnesota |district = 61B |term_start = January 3, 2001 |term_end = January 5, 2009 |predecessor = Linda Wejcman |successor = Jeff Hayden |birth_name = |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|12|14}} |birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota |party = Democratic }}
'''Neva Walker''' (born December 14, 1971) is an American politician who served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from district 61B from 2001 to 2009.<ref name = "legislature">{{cite web|url=https://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail?ID=10692 |title=Walker, Neva |publisher=Leg.state.mn.us |date= |accessdate=2019-02-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/rep-walker-looks-forward-to-life-with-a-husband-named-steve/15751102/ |title=Rep. Walker looks forward to life with a husband named Steve |publisher=StarTribune.com |date=2008-02-20 |accessdate=2019-02-15|archive-url=https://archive.today/20260210163547/https://www.startribune.com/c-j-rep-walker-looks-forward-to-life-with-a-husband-named-steve/15751102#selection-311.173-311.263|archive-date=2026-02-10}}</ref> Walker was the first African-American woman to be elected to the Minnesota Legislature.<ref name = "legislature"/>
== Legislative service == Walker ran for District 61B in South Minneapolis in 2000. She was endorsed by the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party. District 61B at the time was 35% African American and a DFL stronghold. She ran against Republican Andy Lindberg.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Brandt |date=2000-03-23 |title=Neva Walker running to become first Black woman lawmaker |url=https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2000/03/23/neva-walker-running-to-become-first-black-woman-lawmaker |access-date=2026-02-10 |website=archive.mpr.org}}</ref>She decided to run for office after she had a negative experience demonstrating with homeless people at the Capitol.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Watson |first=Mary Kay |date=2001-02-16 |title=History maker: First female African-American legislator brings community concerns to the Capitol |url=https://www.lrl.mn.gov/LegDB/articles/10692SessWeeklyProfile.pdf |work=Session Weekly |pages=17}}</ref>
Prior to her election, six African-American men had been elected to the legislature but no women; John Francis Wheaton was the first in 1899. Upon her election, she joined Greg Gray as the only two African Americans in the legislature.<ref name=":0" /> On May 16, 2008, she became the first African-American woman to gavel the House into session.<ref name="legislature" />
In 2003, Walker received a letter from the lawyer of Corcoran Republican Arlon Lindner that was addressed to her as "Walker-Black". Walker said racist incidents she faced were "emotionally and mentally draining."<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Collins |date=2008-01-03 |title=Pioneering legislator won't seek 5th term |url=https://www.startribune.com/pioneering-legislator-won-t-seek-5th-term/12978896 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241204163804/https://www.startribune.com/pioneering-legislator-won-t-seek-5th-term/12978896 |archive-date=2024-12-04 |access-date=2026-02-10 |language=en|first=Terry|work=Minnesota Star Tribune|last2=Walsh|first2=Paul}}</ref>
Her committee assignments included finance, health and human services, and mental health. Walker served four terms.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-01-02 |title='08 session is the last for pioneering Minnesota legislator |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2008/01/02/walkerretires |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309110936/http://www.mprnews.org/story/2008/01/02/walkerretires |archive-date=2021-03-09 |access-date=2026-02-10 |website=MPR News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
== Personal life == Walker grew up in Minneapolis. Her mother, Clarissa Walker, was program manager for Sabathani Community Center for over thirty years.<ref name=":1" /> Walker graduated from Minneapolis South High School.<ref name=":2" /> Walker had one son, Shae, who passed in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2021-07-07 |title=Remembering Shae TcShaumbay Hill-Walker |url=https://spokesman-recorder.com/2021/07/07/shae-tcshaumbay-hill-walker/ |access-date=2026-02-10 |website=Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder |language=en-US}}</ref> She married in 2007.<ref name="legislature" />
Walker attended the University of Minnesota and studied sociology.<ref name=":1" /> She worked as a youth development coordinator for the Minneapolis Area United Way and had a history as an affordable housing advocate.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neva Walker prepares for role as new state legislator |url=https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2000/12/28/neva-walker-preparing-be-new-legislator |access-date=2026-02-10 |website=archive.mpr.org}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
== External links ==
* [https://archive.mpr.org/stories/2000/12/28/neva-walker-preparing-be-new-legislator Neva Walker on preparing to be a new legislator from Minnesota Public Radio, 2000]
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Neva}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Minneapolis Category:Women state legislators in Minnesota Category:African-American state legislators in Minnesota Category:Democratic Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Category:South High School (Minnesota) alumni Category:African-American women in politics Category:21st-century African-American politicians Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century members of the Minnesota Legislature
{{Minnesota-MNRepresentative-Democratic-stub}} Category:African-American history in Minneapolis–Saint Paul