Black Will Be First Woman Nominated to LG&W Board

Black Will Be First Woman Nominated to LG&W Board

he article “Black Will Be First Woman Nominated To LG&W Board” was printed in the Memphis Press-Scimitar on September 6, 1973. It was written about Patricia Shaw, a 34 year old insurance executive who was nominated by Memphis City Council, to serve on the board of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water. This makes Pat Shaw the first woman to be nominated to such a position. During this time, she was the assistant vice president and research analyst at Universal Life Insurance. Pat Shaw, being a minority and a woman, was ecstatic to be nominated for such a position. She mentioned that, “ of course the fact that the vacancy opened up from the death of a black member makes this particular nomination very attractive to me, so that we can not only have continued representation of that group but also a woman”. Mrs. Shaw was very active in Civil Rights, but also sexism in the workplace and human rights overall. She believed the biggest issue “was discrimination against anyone because they’re different or because they do not fit certain roles, I think the bigger issue is human rights”.

Memphis Press-Scimitar

MSS 109, Box 1, Folder 14

University of Memphis Libraries

September 6, 1973

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