María Elena Durazo

María Elena Durazo, 73, is a longtime labor activist. She’s a graduate of St. Mary’s College, where she was part of the Chicano Movement. She began organizing for the textile workers union as she worked toward a law degree at People’s College of Law. She was the executive vice president of UNITE-HERE International and the first woman Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. Durazo was the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee and national co-chair of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. She’s a widow of the late union leader Miguel Contreras. She has two children.