Year Honored: 2021

Birth: 1946-

Born in: Delaware

Biography

Representative Stephanie T. Bolden is a native Delawarean who grew up on the east side of Wilmington. Her mother died when she was a very young child, and she was raised by her father who was in his golden years when she was born.

Representative Bolden is a product of Wilmington School District graduating from Howard High School in 1965. She attended Delaware State University and graduated in 1969 with a B.S in Education. Representative Bolden continued her education at Boston College in Massachusetts earning her M.ED. in Urban Education in 1973. She has spent her life in service to others.
Just as teachers helped to mold her love of learning, Representative Bolden spent over 35 years as a classroom teacher where she instilled in her students the importance of being a good community member and the need to strive for excellence.

Bolden established the Burton-Phelan Memorial Scholarship Program, that has, for 25 years, helped students who live in Wilmington attend college. She has also been an advocate and supporter of Senior citizens in her area, annually sponsoring a Thanksgiving Dinner for those in need.
Representative Bolden served five terms on the Wilmington City Council, eventually becoming the first woman elected as President Pro Tempore. Her tenure on the council was characterized through significant legislation on protecting domestic violence victims and creating civic associations to give voice to communities.

In 2010, she was elected the District 2 Representative to the Delaware State Assembly. Her major goals in the senate have been sponsoring legislation to protect the vulnerable populations of senior citizens and children in foster care. Bolden has long been an advocate for foster care - both publicly and privately - fostering, and later adopting several children.
____________________________________________________________________________
Sources and Additional Reading

Legislature, D. (n.d.). Delaware General Assembly. Representative Stephanie T. Bolden (D) - Delaware General Assembly. Retrieved October 7, 2021, from https://legis.delaware.gov/AssemblyMember/151/Bolden.