Jeanette Mott Oxford

Jeanette Mott Oxford

Template:TOCnestleft Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford, is a Communist Party USA affiliated Missouri State Representative. A Democrat, Mott Oxford, represents part of St. Louis City (District 59) in the Missouri House of Representatives. Elected to the House in 2004, Rep. Oxford was executive director of the Reform Organization of Welfare (ROWEL) from 1991-2000 and Grassroots Coordinator for the American Lung Association 2001-04.

Born on July 16, 1954, in Eldorado, Illinois, Rep. Oxford now lives in St. Louis with her partner Dorothy.

Education

A 1972 graduate of Cave-in-Rock High School in Cave-in- Rock, Illinois, Rep. Oxford received an Associate of Arts degree from Southeastern College in 1974. She also received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1986 and earned her Masters in Divinity from Eden Theological Seminary in 1989.

Activism

In addition to her legislative duties, Rep. Oxford is a member of the Coalition Against Public Funding for Stadiums, Missourians for Tax Justice, Women’s Political Caucus of Metro St. Louis, PROMO, and the United Church of Christ’s Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns. Rep. Oxford attends Epiphany United Church of Christ in St. Louis.

Throughout her career, Rep. Oxford has received the Burning Bush Award from Christians for Justice Action; Shalom Award from the Eden Theological Seminary; Progressive Director/Organizer of the Year from the Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition; and the Ethical Humanist of the Year from the St. Louis Ethical Society.

"Cap the Rate and Raise the Wage!"

Progress Missouri May 6, 2012 · ·

This is what democracy looks like! More than 350,000 signatures submitted to the Missouri Secretary of State to Cap the Rate and Raise the Wage!

Did you and your friends sign the petitions? Tag the photo here! — with Frank Kovarik, Bob Minor, Derek Wetherell, Charlie Edelen IV, Eric Meyer, Montague Simmons, Joseph Anthony, Richard Von Glahn, Jim Kottmeyer, Jeff Ordower, Trista Soendker Nicholson, Caitlyn Adams, Cathy Sherwin, Matthew Patterson, Alexandra Townsend, Alyssa Soendker, Lara Granich, Mary Clemons, Wayne Brekhus, Robin Acree, James Powell, Julie Terbrock, Bradley Harmon, Aaron Burnett, Reese Erick Forbes, Jonathan Byrd, Amy Smoucha, Jimmy Lappe, David Martino, Lenny Jones, Mary Still, Eva Kathleen Schulte, Kim Clark, Jeanette Mott Oxford, Nancy Cross, Jeff Mazur, Dick Wilson, Brendan Smith, Roy Temple, Sarah Wood Martin, Adam J. Shriver, Phil Snider, A.J. Bockelman, Tianna Soendker and Shannon Duffy.

Supported by the Communist Party

In September 2005 Tony Pecinovsky of the MO/KS Communist Party USA staff, was interviewed about the party by Vital Voice newspaper.

VV: Do you plan to offer your own candidates?

TP: No, we target candidates and support them. Like State Reps. Jeanette Mott Oxford and John L. Bowman. — candidates who share our values and stand for the working people.

Pecinovsky support

Tony Pecinovsky has worked as a union organizer, advocacy journalist and District Organizer for the MO/KS Communist Party.

In 2010 he served in the following capacities: secretary-treasurer, Greater St. Louis CWA City Council; secretary, St. Louis area Jobs with Justice Leadership Team; St. Louis area Pro-Vote board member; and the St. Louis Newspaper Guild.

Pecinovsky has worked on "numerous key progressive electoral campaigns" including: John Bowman (D70), Jeanette Mott Oxford (D59), Robin Wright-Jones (5th Senate District) and Clem Smith (D71).

Communist Party award

The 2005 Missouri/Kansas Friends of the Peoples Weekly World annual awards breakfast drew more than 130 trade unionists, activists, and religious leaders to the Hershel Walker Peace and Justice Awards Breakfast on April 30. The event, then in its 13th year, honors Hershel Walker, a life-long peace and justice advocate who joined the Young Communist League USA in 1930 and spent the rest of his life in the Communist Party USA. Walker was killed in a car accident in 1990 while on his way to deliver petitions for the campaign to save 4,000 jobs at Chrysler Plant #1 in Fenton, Mo.

2005 award recipients included state Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford (D-St. Louis), Progressive Vote organizer Margarida Jorge, and the registered nurses of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 655.

The keynote speaker was Keren Wheeler, editor of Dynamic, the YCL magazine, and the event included remarks from Student Worker Alliance member Danielle Christmas. The SWA had recently won a living wage for Washington University campus service staff after a 19-day sit-in. Christmas thankedd the World for its coverage and support. “This truly was a community victory,” she said.

The Missouri Legislature had recently passed HB 539, which eliminates Medicaid services for up to 130,000 state residents.

After receiving her award, Mott Oxford, who opposed the bill, apologized for the Legislature’s action and vowed to do everything in her power to fight implementation of the cuts.

The breakfast also recognized the lifelong contributions of John Pappademos, who had recently celebrated his 55th year in the CPUSA. Pappademos received a standing ovation from the packed union hall. Members of SEIU Local 2000, AFSCME Local 2730, CBTU, and UFCW Local 655 were among those who attended, along with state Rep. John L. Bowman and 22nd Ward Committee members Jay Ozier and Fay Davis. The event raised more than $4,000 for the World’s 2005 fund drive and local activities.

PWW forum

The second annual “Working Class Media and Democracy” forum Oct. 21 2005 in St. Louis , was sponsored by the Missouri-Kansas People’s Weekly World bureau, featured a panel of print and radio personalities, including Lizz Brown, WGNU radio, Johnson Lancaster, Belleville News-Democrat, and Joel Wendland, Political Affairs magazine. The event was moderated by state Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford.

In welcoming remarks, Zenobia Thompson, PWW bureau chair, said, “Media and democracy are inseparable. We can not have a true democracy without a democratic media, a media that reflects our interests as a class.”

Communist Party award event

The Missouri/Kansas Friends of the People’s Weekly World held their 14th annual Hershel Walker Peace and Justice Awards Breakfast in St. Louis Missouri April 29 2006, "educating listeners about Venezuela and raising $3,000 for the PWW fund drive in the process."

Shelby Richardson, a leader of the Illinois district of the Communist Party, was the keynote speaker at the event, which drew over 100 union members, community activists and students. Richardson, who had recently attended the World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, spoke about his experiences there.

Awardees included Joan Suarez, a leader in the St. Louis area Jobs with Justice and chair of their Workers’ Rights Board and Immigrants Rights Action Task Force; PROMO, a Missouri-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights organization; and Quincy Boyd, president of AFSCME Local 2730.

Ward 4 Committeeperson James Clayborne spoke to the attendees about efforts to honor Walker in his ward, where Walker lived until his death. Clayborne said he was working with ward residents to list Hershel Walker and other well-known African American leaders from the city’s north side on a memorial plaque and to rename a street after him.

State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, 22nd Ward Committeepersons Jay Ozier and Fay Davis, Ward 3 Alderwoman Shirley Davis, newly elected school board member Peter Downs and Ward 19 Committeeperson Jesse Todd also attended. .

Suppporting Claire McCaskill

In the 2006 election, Claire McCaskill tried to woo rural support against her Republican opponent Jim Talent.

According to the Communist Party USA paper Peoples Weekly World:

McCaskill is challenging conventional wisdom though, spending more time in rural areas than ever before. While working the traditional Democratic base, her connection with rural voters is forcing Talent to spend time and money on what was once thought of as solid Republican turf.

Communist Party USA affiliate John L. Bowman co-ordinated the Mccaskill campaign.

Is McCaskill’s strategy working? According to Missouri state Rep. John Bowman (D-70), who is coordinating the McCaskill campaign for the St. Louis city and county area, the answer is yes. He told the World, “We are running one helluva ground campaign. So far it has been planned out and executed very well, even in rural areas.” He added, “That Talent, the incumbent, isn’t ahead in the polls is uniquely strange. Missouri voters are ready for a change.”

Reaching out to rural voters hasn’t changed McCaskill’s stance on key issues, though. She is a strong supporter of raising the minimum wage (Proposition B), authorizing stem cell research (Amendment 2) and changing the administration’s course in Iraq. Prop. B is supported by more than 70 percent of Missourians, while Amendment 2 is supported by over 60 percent. These two ballot initiatives are expected to help McCaskill gain at least 3 percentage points on Talent.

The McCaskill campaign also received support from state-level races. For example, state Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, another Communist Party USA affiliate, told the Peoples Weekly World, “Higher turnout in the Jane Bageto (D-94) and the Bob Burns (D-85) races, which are strong Republican areas, will help the McCaskill vote in those areas as well.”

Missouri Progressive Vote targeted state representative races in the Jefferson County area, about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis, with the hopes of solidifying Missouri House candidates Mike Frame (D-105) and Sam Komo (D-90), both card-carrying union members, and increasing the McCaskill turnout in those areas.

According to Pro-Vote organizer, Communist Party USA Glenn Burleigh, “These are tough races in areas where choice, LGBT rights and guns can make or break a campaign. We are working to turn the tide against the right wing, but a lot more work needs to be done.”

Increased voter registration is also a big part of the statewide turnout strategy. ACORN and Pro-Vote have collectively registered nearly 40,000 new voters in St. Louis and expect a higher than usual turnout in November.

About St. Louis, Bowman said, “We are knocking on almost 5,000 doors a day, passing out ‘Claire facts’ and talking to voters about the minimum wage and stem cell initiatives. We’re pushing for a big turnout.”

With just a few weeks left before the elections, Missouri’s progressive forces are united in their efforts to beat back the right wing, make gains for working-class families and send a clear message to President Bush.

City control of police

On February 4 2008, group of local elected officials gathered in front of City Hall today to call attention to a bill in the Missouri legislature which seeks to give the City of St. Louis control over its police department—control which was taken away over 100 years ago during the time of the Civil War.

Those in attendance included: State Senator Maida Coleman, State Reps Talibdin El-Amin, Rodney Hubbard, and Jeanette Mott Oxford, Aldermen Terry Kennedy, Jeffrey Boyd, and Frank Williamson.

Supported Progressive Health Care Reform

In late 2009, Jeanette Mott Oxford was one of more than 1,000 state legislators to sign a letter entitled "State Legislators for Progressive Health Care Reform". The letter was a project of the Progressive States Network and was developed in consultation with national health care reform advocates, including the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Community Catalyst, Families USA, Herndon Alliance, National Women's Law Center, Northeast Action, SEIU, and Universal Health Care Action Network. The letter reads in part,

"Failure to pass national comprehensive health reform now will further jeopardize state and local budgets, undermining public services like education, public safety, and transportation infrastructure... We, the undersigned, call on President Obama and the Congress to enact bold and comprehensive health care reform this year – based on these principles and a strong federal-state collaboration – and pledge our support as state legislators and allies in pursuit of guaranteed, high quality, affordable health care for all."

Communist Party Herschel Walker award event

Tony Harris, Jeanette Mott Oxford, Zenobia Thompson (partial)

The Missouri Communist Party USA's Friends of the People’s World hosted their 18th annual ‘Hershel Walker Peace and Justice Awards Breakfast’ Saturday, May 8, 2010, at the CWA Local 6300 Union Hall, 2258 Grissom Drive (in the Westport area), St. Louis.

Newspaper Guild International President Bernie Lunzer was the main speaker for the event.

The honorees were:

• Tony Harris, President American Postal Workers Union (labor)
• Martin Rafanan, Ex. Director Gateway Homeless Services (community)
• State Senator Rita Heard Days, D-14 (public service)
• Clem Smith, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (civil rights)

The awards honor the memory of late Communist Party USA member Hershel Walker, a Missouri labor and civil rights activist, who died in 1990 at the age of 81. Walker’s life – which spanned 60 years of activism – ended tragically when hit by a car on his way to deliver petitions to save 4,000 jobs at the Chrysler Plant.

Known attendees included Communist Party USA affiliates, Tony Pecinovsky, Jim Wilkerson, Zenobia Thompson, Lew Moye, Glenn Burleigh, Julie Terbrock, John Bowman, Joe Thomas, Jeanette Mott Oxford, Democratic Socialists of America member Joan Suarez, plus Mahrya Monson, Don Giljum, Jessica Pace, Jason Kennedy, Jennifer Rafanan, Solveig Paulson, Dr. Greg Miday, Roosevelt Stewart, Michael Vossler, Maria Chappelle-Nadal, Richard Von Glahn, Shannon Duffy and State Rep. James Morris.

GRO Gala

This is What Democracy Looks Like! GRO – Grass Roots Organizing Tenth Anniversary Gala Event, October 8, 2010, at the The Renaissance Grand Hotel St. Louis, Missouri

Keynote Speaker John Nichols Washington Correspondent The Nation.

St. Louis Host Committee;

• Laura Barrett, National Policy Director, Gamaliel Foundation
• Amy Blouin Executive Director, Missouri Budget Project
• John L. Bowman, Chief of Staff, Senator Robin Wright-Jones
• Nancy Cross, Vice President, Service Employee International Union Local 1
• Rita Days, Missouri State Senator
• Lara Granich, Executive Director, Missouri Jobs with Justice
• Reverend Ben Martin
• Jeanette Mott Oxford, Missouri Representative
• Tony Pecinovsky, People's World
• Rabbi Susan Talve, Central Reform Congregation

Communist Party speaker

Speak Progress is the speakers bureau of the Communist Party USA. Listed speakers, as of October 2014, included Jeanette Mott Oxford

Jeanette Mott Oxford is a former State Representative from the 59th House district of Missouri. She was elected in November 2004 and served until she was term-limited in 2012. She was the first out-lesbian to serve in the Missouri House. She is currently the executive director of the Missouri Association for Social Welfare.

During her tenure, Mott Oxford served on the following House committees: Retirement, Children and Families, Ethics, Energy and Environment, Financial Institutions, Tax Reform, Governmental Accountability and Oversight, and Renewable Energy. She ran unsuccessfully for MO State Senate in 2012 in a campaign that drew a large and diverse volunteer and donor base.

Jeanette has been an advocate, educator, writer, and organizer on issues of poverty, health, housing, racism, sexual orientation, and campaign finance reform in Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri for more than 20 years. She is remembered by many for her work as executive director of Reform Organization of Welfare (ROWEL) from 1991-2000.

2015 JwJ leadership

Missouri Statewide Executive Board

• Nancy Cross, Labor Co-Chair SEIU 1 – Missouri Division
• Bradley Harmon, Labor Co-Chair CWA Local 6355/Missouri State Workers’ Union
• Tony Harris, Treasurer APWU Gateway DAL
• Jake Hummel, Labor Co-Chair Missouri AFL-CIO
• The Rev. Jim Hill, Faith Co-Chair Missouri Faith Voices
• Earline Jones, Community Co-Chair Alliance for Retired Americans
• Dr. Bob Minor, Kansas City JwJ Rep. The Fairness Project
• Jeb Morris, Recording Secretary Southeast Missouri Central Trades and Labor Council
• Jeanette Mott Oxford, Community Co-Chair Missouri Association for Social Welfare
• Rhonda Perry, Community Co-Chair Missouri Rural Crisis Center
• Joan Suarez, Community Co-Chair Missouri Immigrant and Refugee Advocates
• Julie Terbrock, St. Louis JwJ Rep Community Activist

References

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