Loretta Thompson-Glickman
Loretta Jean Thompson-Glickman was an American politician. She became the first African-American mayor of Pasadena, California, in 1982, which also made her the first Black woman to be mayor of an American city of over 100,000 residents.
Early life and education
Thompson-Glickman grew up in Pasadena, and attended courses at Pasadena City College from 1963 to 1968, but did not complete any degree program.Career
Thompson was a jazz singer and toured with the New Christy Minstrels and London Fog, before retiring from the entertainment industry in 1975 to start a family. She also taught high school English in Pasadena Public Schools from 1970 to 1972, but had to resign when her temporary teaching credential expired.In 1977, Thompson-Glickman became the first black woman elected as a Pasadena city director, a few days before she gave birth to her younger son. Four years later, she became the city's first black vice mayor, before becoming mayor in 1982. "There was the possibility that a minority might not get to be mayor here for many years to come," she recalled of the moment. "And it was my turn." She was also the first Black woman to be mayor of an American city of over 100,000 residents.
Beyond politics, Thompson-Glickman was active in church work, as choir director at Pasadena's Grace United Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church of Pacoima, and later minister of music at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas. She also worked as an investment and financial aid counselor. As president of the Pasadena Human Relations Committee, she was the first Black woman member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.