Earlene Hill Hooper is an American politician who represented District 18 in the New York State Assembly from 1988 to 2018. Hooper's district included large portions of Nassau County. Hooper served as the first female Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from 2009 to 2018. First elected in a special election held on March 15, 1988, Hooper was (at one time) the only New York state legislator of color from Long Island. A former social worker, with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in English from Norfolk State University and a Master's in Social Work from

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

, she previously served as an administrator in New York State's Department of Social Services Division of Child and Family Services. Hooper also served on the Democratic Platform Committee during 1988. On September 13, 2018, Hooper was defeated in the Democratic primary by psychologist and political newcomer Taylor Raynor, who was described as "a loose jezebel that has two kids and no husband" in fliers spread within the assembly district. Hooper was criticized during her campaign for comparing Raynor to a slave and comparing Nassau County Democratic Committee chairman Jay Jacobs to a plantation owner.

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1930s births Living people People from Nassau County, New York Deputy Speakers of the New York State Assembly Democratic Party members of the New York State Assembly African-American state legislators in New York (state) Adelphi University alumni Norfolk State University alumni Women state legislators in New York (state) 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Politicians from Baltimore 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians {{NewYork-NYAssembly-stub