Alma Adams

Alma Shealey Adams was born in High Point, North Carolina, and raised in Newark, New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from North Carolina A&T State University and a Ph.D. in Art Education and Multicultural Education from The Ohio State University. Professionally, Adams served as a professor of art history at Bennett College for 40 years. Her political career began with the Greensboro City School Board in 1984, followed by seven years on the Greensboro City Council. In 1994, she was appointed to the North Carolina House of Representatives, where she served for 20 years and chaired the Legislative Black Caucus. A member of the Democratic Party, Adams was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a November 2014 special election to fill the vacancy left by Mel Watt. She simultaneously won the general election for a full term, making history as the 100th woman elected to the U.S. House. In Congress, she has prioritized issues she refers to as "the 4H's": healthcare, hunger, housing, and higher education. She is a co-founder of the Black Maternal Health Caucus and is a leading advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), notably through her work on the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act.

Representative Adams' policy positions are centered on social equity and economic opportunity. In healthcare, she is a supporter of the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion, and she has focused extensively on the maternal mortality crisis through the 'Momnibus' legislative package. Regarding the economy, she advocates for raising the federal minimum wage and passing the Paycheck Fairness Act to ensure equal pay for women. Her education platform emphasizes sustained federal funding for HBCUs and expanding access to early childhood education and childcare tax credits. On immigration, Adams has been a critic of mass deportation policies and has called for increased oversight of federal enforcement agencies while supporting humanitarian aid and a pathway to citizenship. She is also a supporter of reproductive rights, stating that healthcare decisions should remain private between patients and doctors, and she advocates for environmental protections, including addressing PFAS contamination and investing in a green economy.