Sequanna Taylor (born July 1979) is an American educator, community organizer, and Democratic politician from

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. She is a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing Wisconsin's 11th Assembly district since

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

. She is also currently a member of the

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is the legislative branch of the government of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. Supervisors are elected to the board in nonpartisan elections. There are 18 supervisors. The county board has seve ...

, since 2016, and a former member of the board of the

Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is the largest school district in Wisconsin. As of the 2015–16 school year, MPS served 75,568 students in 154 schools and had 9,636 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff positions. The system is one of the largest i ...

Biography

Sequanna Taylor was born, raised, and has lived most of her life in

. She grew up in the Amani neighborhood, on Milwaukee's northwest side. She was the first member of her family to graduate from high school and college. She worked for 15 years in the

as a coordinator for the parents of special needs students. She attended college at night while working and raising her children, earning her associate's degree from

Concordia University Wisconsin Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The university is organized into ...

, and then her bachelor's degree from

Cardinal Stritch University Cardinal Stritch University was a private Catholic university with its primary campus in Fox Point and Glendale, Wisconsin, United States. Its enrollment as of fall 2021 was 1,365. The university closed in May 2023 due to financial challenges a ...

. Through her work in Milwaukee schools, she became active in the teachers' union, the Milwaukee Teachers' Education Association, and eventually became a member of the union leadership and a member of the board of directors of the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college st ...

Political career

In 2016, Taylor made her first bid for public office, running for

in the 2nd district seat being vacated by Khalif Rainey. She has been re-elected every two years since then, though she was redistricted to the 5th county board district in 2022. In 2019, she also won a seat on the board of education of the

, and served a four year term in that role. In 2023, state representative Dora Drake announced she would forgo re-election to run instead for

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those ...

. Just after winning her fifth term on the county board, in April 2024, Taylor announced that she would run to succeed Drake in the 11th district of the

. No Republican ran in the 11th district, which was overwhelmingly Democratic, but Taylor faced a contested Democratic primary against Milwaukee graduate student Amillia Heredia. Taylor won the primary with over 83% of the vote, and won the general election without opposition.

Personal life and family

While in high school, Taylor became romantically involved with an older man, and eventually married him. They had two children together before divorcing. Taylor alleged that he had been emotionally abusive. In 2022, Taylor received an honorary doctorate degree from

Trinity International University Trinity International University (TIU) is an evangelical Christian university headquartered in Bannockburn, Illinois. It comprises Trinity College, a theological seminary (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School), and a law school ( Trinity Law Sch ...

, in the field of entrepreneurship and business administration.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (2024)

References

External links

Official website (County)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Sequanna 1979 births Living people Politicians from Milwaukee Concordia University Wisconsin alumni Cardinal Stritch University alumni County supervisors in Wisconsin School board members in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly African-American state legislators in Wisconsin 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature