Houston’s Black women in politics: Shaping policy, taking action

Houston has long been shaped by the vision of Black women, and today, that legacy is still alive in the halls of local and state government. From the courthouse to City Hall to the Texas Capitol, Black women are holding positions of power and advocating for the needs of their communities. During International Black Women’s History Month, it is worth remembering the leaders who are aiming to take action on issues such as housing equity, reforming the criminal justice system, championing workers’ rights, and building safer neighborhoods for Houstonians. Each of these women bring a distinct background and areas of focus to their roles.

1. Teneshia Hudspeth: Harris County Clerk 

Teneshia Hudspeth assumed office on January 1, 2021, and her current term ends on December 31, 2026. She made history by becoming the first African-American woman elected to this office. As the clerk of Harris County, she oversees special, primary, and general elections for the county with a diverse population of more than 4.9 million people. She has been with the County Clerk’s office for more than 16 years and served under four County Clerks before being elected. She began her career as a Mickey Leland Congressional Intern and worked her way up through several positions before reaching her current role. Clerk Hudspeth earned her degree in Communications from Texas Southern University and is also a graduate of Leadership Houston and the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University. During her tenure, Hudspeth has worked to modernize the office, digitizing historical records and improving signage and accessibility in the downtown courthouse.  She also transitioned the County Clerk’s Office out of election management and currently serves on the Election Commission. In December 2012, Hudspeth co-founded the Houston Black Leadership Institute (HBLI), a leadership development program for African-American young professionals focused on succession planning, which has produced more than 100 graduates since 2013.

2. Jolanda Jones, Texas State Representative

Jolanda Jones, a Houston native, first gained public recognition as a member of the Houston City Council, where she served two terms. Professionally, Jones is an attorney and former judge, bringing courtroom experience into her legislative work. After returning to elected office as a Texas State Representative, she has leveraged her personal experiences and legal background to push forward a slate of justice-centered policies in the Texas Legislature. Representing House District 147, Jones has made criminal justice reform and education equity central to the bills she filed in the 89th Legislative Session. Jones’ proposals include expunging drug-related convictions where no substances were found, limiting excessive pretrial detention and reforming juvenile justice to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. Jones has also taken on issues such as police accountability, opposing school voucher programs and expanding healthcare access through historically Black institutions. A survivor of domestic violence, she has incorporated that experience into legislation focused on prevention and law enforcement training. Before her time at the Capitol, Jones played a key role in exposing issues within the Houston Police Department’s DNA crime lab, helping lead to its shutdown. As a former Houston City Councilmember, she also advocated for expanding contracting opportunities for Black- and brown-owned businesses.

3. Lauren Ashley Simmons, Texas State Representative

State Rep. Lauren Ashley Simmons is a Houston native, raised in the Third Ward. She graduated from Jack Yates High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. She became a mother at 19 during her first year in college. After graduating, Simmons built a career as a union organizer, working with the Texas State Employees Union, and spent nearly five years with the American Federation of Teachers. Her entry into politics was sparked in 2023 during a Houston ISD community meeting, where she ‘went viral’ for confronting the state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles following the Texas Education Agency takeover of the school district. Then she launched her candidacy for House District 146, where Simmons unseated Shawn Thierry, an incumbent, in the 2024 primary, before winning the general election in November. Now serving her first term in the Texas House, Simmons is the inaugural chair of the Labor & Workforce Caucus and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Texas Legislative Black Caucus and the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. She has been particularly vocal in opposing GOP redistricting efforts and framed the limit on teaching Black history as a direct attack on marginalized communities. 

4. Martha Castex-Tatum, Mayor Pro Tem and District K City Council Member

Martha Castex-Tatum serves as Houston’s Mayor Pro Tem and City Council Member for District K, where she focuses on a wide range of local issues. Representing a district that spans diverse neighborhoods that stretch across southwest Houston into Fort Bend County, she has prioritized improving public safety and strengthening infrastructure. As Mayor Pro Tem, Castex-Tatum plays a key role in guiding council priorities. Within the City Council, she serves on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs, Economic Development, Ethics and Governance, Labor and Proposition A Committees. More recently, Castex-Tatum has taken a leadership role in addressing Houston’s housing challenges. She has helped lead community engagement efforts around a proposed apartment inspection ordinance aimed at identifying substandard housing conditions and holding landlords accountable, while also emphasizing the need to expand affordable housing supply. Castex-Tatum won the May 2018 special election to fulfill the unexpired term of the late Houston City Council Member Larry Green. She was the first African American female to serve on the San Marcos City Council, where her colleagues elected her Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Texas State University and is a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., with over 31 years of active membership.

5. Tiffany D. Thomas, District F City Council Member

Council Member Tiffany D. Thomas represents District F. Re-elected in 2024, she has centered her work on housing and infrastructure. Her path to public office began in 2013 when she ran for Trustee Position 7 with Alief ISD. She then won a runoff election for the district in December 2019. In the City Council, Thomas has led efforts to improve neighborhood safety through expanded street lighting, increased license plate recognition technology and targeted cleanups addressing illegal dumping. Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University and her master’s degree in community development from Prairie View A&M University, where she also serves as an assistant professor. As Chair of the Housing and Affordability Committee under two mayoral administrations, she oversaw priorities related to housing, veteran affairs, homelessness, and solid waste. In 2025, she championed an amendment for the HUD $314.6 million disaster recovery plan, securing $100 million for housing recovery programs in stark contrast to the initial $0 allocation. She also spearheaded the apartment inspection ordinance alongside Castex-Tatum. Thomas is a founding member of New Giving Collective, the first Black giving circle in Houston, and is a member of the North Harris County Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Houston chapter of The Links, Inc.

Her initiatives, including the Faith & Affordable Housing Summit and education programs on heirs’ property, aim to preserve generational wealth in historically Black and brown communities.