SPOTLIGHT: Louisiana Black History Makers
Sharon Weston Broome
Mayor President
East Baton Rouge Parish
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Sharon Weston Broome is the mayor-president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She served in the Louisiana State Senate representing the 15th district from 2005 to 2016 and was elected mayor-president in a runoff election held on December 10, 2016. Before her tenure as a state senator, she was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 29 from 1992 to 2004. Broome held several leadership positions during her time in the Louisiana legislature, including the President Pro Tempore of the state Senate and Speaker Pro Tempore of the House.
Throughout her political career, Broome has been a strong advocate for women's rights and community development. In 2012, she sponsored a bill requiring doctors to let a woman hear the heartbeat of a fetus before performing an abortion, which was signed into law by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. In 2018, she proposed a half-cent sales tax to fund the proposed MoveBR roads program, which was approved by the voters in a big victory for the mayor-president. In her second term, Mayor Broome has continued her work to improve the lives of her constituents, particularly in the area of housing. She has championed the 2021 proposal for Housing for Heroes™, a low to moderate income multi-unit housing development in the Scotlandville area of Baton Rouge.
Throughout her political career, Mayor Broome has demonstrated her leadership skills, commitment to her constituents, and her ability to bring people together to achieve common goals. Her accomplishments in the areas of women's rights, community development, and affordable housing have earned her a reputation as a visionary leader and an advocate for the people of Baton Rouge.