She might be a leader in public relations, the host of two podcasts, an author, and the Los Angeles County Commissioner of Alcohol and other Drugs, but Tonya McKenzie is above all else: brave.
In 2022, she made California history as the first Black woman to run for city councilor in Redondo Beach. The incumbent won, and the journey wasn’t easy, but even so, the experience also shed a spotlight on why we need more women and people who reflect our communities in office.
Politics is ugly from every angle. Women receive most of the vitriol from social platforms and their male colleagues, simply for their existence.