Maria J. Lopes is an American community activist and former politician who was the first African-American woman elected to the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

, serving from 1989 to 2001. A

Cape Verdean American Cape Verdean Americans are an ethnic group of Americans whose ancestors were Cape Verdean. Immigration waves Prior to independence in 1975, Cape Verdean immigrants were registered as Portuguese immigrants from the overseas province of Po ...

, she represented East Providence as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

Life and career

Of Cape Verdean descent, Lopes lived in the Wanskuck district of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. Married to a firefighter, she became an activist after Mayor Joseph Doorley sought to sell the Valley View housing project, where she lived, to a private developer that planned to convert the property into luxury apartments. Lopes organized 400 residents and supporters to occupy the

Providence City Council The Providence City Council is the fifteen-member legislative body of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. The two major responsibilities of the council are enacting ordinances necessary to ensure the welfare and good order of the city and a ...

chambers in protest on May 29, 1973, and helped to coordinate a lawsuit that led to the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

halting the sale of the Valley View property. Doorley lost the 1974 election, and Lopes became active in the fair housing movement and the Tenant Affairs Board, which she served as vice chair and president. Lopes was elected to a seat in the

in November 1988 and took office in early 1983, representing the 83rd House District as a

. She was the first Black woman elected to the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 representatives, and the upper Rhode Island Se ...

. In September 1983, Lopes reached an agreement with mayor

Buddy Cianci Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci Jr. (, ; ; April 30, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American politician, attorney, radio talk show host, and political commentator who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 1975 to 1984 and again f ...

to permit Valley View to be sold to a private developer but maintain 25% of the apartments as

Section 8 housing Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937 (), commonly known as Section 8, provides rental housing assistance to low-income households in the United States by paying private landlords on behalf of these tenants. Approximately 68% of this assistan ...

. Lopes lost her Democratic primary election in 2000 and left office in 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lopes, Maria Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Date of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians American housing rights activists Democratic Party members of the Rhode Island House of Representatives Politicians from Providence, Rhode Island Rhode Island Democrats Women state legislators in Rhode Island American politicians of Cape Verdean descent Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly