Lawmaker, herself historic, lauds model Harris will set
In 2008, when President Barack Obama achieved history as the first Black person elected to the White House, Patricia Billie Miller became the first Black person to represent Stamford in the Connecticut General Assembly.
Now, 12 years later, she remains in the post, just elected to her seventh term as representative of the 145th State House District, and she’s watching history unfold once again, as Kamala Harris becomes the first female, first Black person and first individual of South Asian descent to be elected vice president of the United States.
“Being the first African American to represent this city, it was an honor, but I looked it as a place I’m supposed to be,” Miller said.
“I didn’t look at it as an
“Being the first African American to represent this city, it was an honor, but I looked it as a place I’m supposed to be. I didn’t look at it as an African American. I looked at it as a representative, a person who won the seat.” State Rep. Patricia Billie Miller
African American. I looked at it as a representative, a person who won the seat.”
Nonetheless, Miller had to overcome some trials on her way to her historic win.
She grew up in the segregated south, Columbia, South Carolina, where from an early age her mother and teachers prepared her for challenges she would face as she got older and gained more experiences.
In school and at home, they reiterated the same lesson to her over and over again: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something,” she said.
Miller moved to Connecticut with her family in 1964, during the end of the Great Migration, the 20th Century period during which millions of African Americans moved north from southern states.
“Moving to Stamford was a cultural shock to me, because I never interacted with people that didn’t look like me, so, I’ve had to learn how to adjust,” she said.
“When I got to Connecticut, it was different,” she said. “First of all, I walked into a classroom. I was shocked because I saw this white teacher. I was in 4th grade. I’d never experienced that.”
Still, her new, northern home came with some of the same hurdles as her former one. Miller said she was prepared with the lessons that her mother and teachers had instilled in her.
“At that time, if you came from the south, your education was considered substandard. So, I was always made to feel that I wasn’t good enough” she said. “I was always put in general programs.”
When Miller advanced to the 7th grade at the brand-new Cloonan Middle School, she recalled a trip to her guidance counselor’s office. She told the school official that she wished to take Spanish and Algebra.
“And she looked at me and she said, ‘You’re not smart enough,”’ Miller recalled.
“But that was OK, because it infuriated me to the point (where) I needed to (buckle) down and show her just how dumb I was,” she said.
Miller went on to earn a degree in mathematics, She also studied Spanish for five years.
“If I had listened to this guidance counselor tell me I couldn’t do it, and let her define me, I wouldn’t have my degree today,” she said.
When similar incidents occurred later —when college professors would ask her not to participate because she intimidated other students, or when a lobbyist questioned her intelligence — Miller said she chose not to be upset about it.
“You just continue to move on ... you can control how you react, but you can’t control what people say,” she said. “I choose my battles, and sometimes, you just let it roll off your back.”
Billie Miller believes her experience would have been different if she had had the chance to see a woman of color, like Kamala Harris, in the White House while she was growing up.
She said Harris is the “poster child” for another motto she lived by growing up: “You can be anything you want to be.”
“Although I was told that, I never really saw it,” Miller said.
Miller won reelection with 77 percent of the vote.
“I can’t emphasize enough how honored and privileged I am that the voters of the 145th District decided to have enough confidence in me to represent them in Hartford once again,” she said.
In this upcoming legislative session, Miller hopes to focus on resolving disparities that have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, including by providing better services to lowincome families at Connecticut’s health care centers.
She’s asked to be reappointed as Chair of the Bonding subcommittee and hopes to form a separate focus on economic development.
Miller has an award named after her by the Women’s Business Development Council, and the Community Health Center in Stamford has named its community room in her honor. But the veteran lawmaker said she’s not sure if local girls of color are aware of her position and what it signifies.
“I try as much as possible to engage younger people. For instance, when I’m running for re-election, I’m always looking for the youth to participate, volunteering for my campaign, and I’ve done that (through local organizations),” she said.
“I try to make my presence known as much as I can, and not just little girls, but also young women because there weren’t many role models for me — and the history books didn’t teach (that) to us.”