March 7, 2023 4:00pm - 5:15pm
The Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service is pleased to announce that Former United States Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard will be the 2023 Matsui Lecturer.
The Matsui Lecture is delivered each year by a distinguished former Member of Congress. In addition to speaking at a large public event, the Lecturer also speaks to classes, meets with students, and participates in the intellectual life of the Matsui Center and the Cal campus. Following a pandemic-related hiatus, we are thrilled to restart the Matsui Lecture series this spring and carry on the tradition of bipartisan engagement on campus.
About the Speaker:
Lucille- Roybal-Allard’s extraordinary career of public service spans more than thirty-five years, first as a California Assembly Member (1987-1992), and then as a member of the U.S. Congress (1993-2023), where she distinguished herself as a dedicated advocate for the dignity and well-being of all Americans. Her tenure in Congress is full of firsts: She is the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress, the first Latina to serve on the Appropriations Committee in the House of Representatives, as well as the first Latina to serve as one of the 12 “Cardinals,” or Chairs, of a House Appropriations Subcommittee. She is also the first woman to chair the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the first woman to chair the California Democratic congressional delegation. From her position on the House Appropriations Committee, the congresswoman spearheaded many federal projects that created jobs and improved the lives of her constituents. She is an original co-author of The Dream Act, which would allow certain U.S.-raised immigrant youth to earn lawful permanent residence and eventual American citizenship, and a strong advocate for fair and just immigration reform which recognizes the critical contributions immigrants make to our nation. As Vice chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, which oversees federal funding for public education, workforce training, and health care initiatives, she was at the forefront of the fight to improve the quality and affordability of health services and successfully secured funding for local needs including infant and childcare, prenatal health, dental care, HIV testing, substance abuse, diabetes treatment, and telehealth services. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard is the eldest daughter of the late Congressman Edward R. Roybal and Lucille Beserra Roybal. She is married to Edward T. Allard III and together they have four children and nine grandchildren.
