SC legislator aims to better women’s lives
South Carolina state Rep. Rosalyn Henderson-Myers says her main focus is to “make the lives of women better.”
A graduate of Tulane University, Henderson-Myers has practiced law since 1993. She lived in Louisiana and Pennsylvania before returning to her hometown of Spartanburg. She served on Spartanburg’s City Council from 2015 to 2017 before winning the District 31 seat in 2017.
“I vowed that if I came back home, that I would be very intentional about being involved in my community,” Henderson-Myers said. “So when the seat came open, I said, ‘This is my opportunity.’ ”
Her 2020 S.C. Lactation Support Act, which would require employers to provide time and a private and sanitary space for breastfeeding workers to pump, was used to model the federal Providing Urgent Maternal Protections (PUMP) for Nursing Act, passed in December 2022. She was honored at the White House in May for her efforts.
In 2022, while establishing a sixmonth residency requirement for name changes in South Carolina, Henderson-Myers also created protections for victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse, allowing those coming to the state for a fresh start to change their names with no wait time.
For her service, Henderson-Myers is the USA TODAY Woman of the Year honoree from South Carolina.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Question: When did you first decide to become an attorney?
Answer: I decided I wanted to become an attorney when I was in the 11th grade. I was on the student council, and Julian Bond came to speak for Black History Month. We had a program and took him out to dinner afterward. When we left to go back home, he stopped us in the parking lot and huddled us around. He said anything you can look at, there are rules and regulations for it, and that’s why it’s important for us to have attorneys (in our communities) to argue the law.
I hadn’t even thought about being an attorney before then, but he really brought it home to me when he took the common everyday objects around us and got us to make that connection. What is your proudest moment?
I would say my proudest moment was being sworn in as a state legislator in South Carolina.
What is your definition of courage? Courage is when you are trembling inside, but you make sure that you appear on the outside to be cool, calm and collected. Courage means stepping into environments that you are uncomfortable in and knowing that you’ve got this.
Is there a guiding principle or mantra you tell yourself ?
Yes, I’m a fan of Mahatma Gandhi. My favorite saying is “be the change that you want to see in the world.” I have lived by that motto ever since I was a teenager.
Who did you look up to at the beginning of your career?
Barbara Jordan. She was the first person that I had seen, a Black female, who was very articulate, very sure of herself, driven, but at the same time, moved with grace.
What’s the greatest challenge you’ve overcome?
I am a breast cancer survivor. When I was 48, 49, I was diagnosed with triplenegative breast cancer. That was very difficult for me. There were a lot of moments when I struggled in terms of my outlook on life. I did a lot of praying at that time.
My church was very, very instrumental in helping me in terms of not only my physical health but my emotional and spiritual health. That was 17 years ago; I’ve been cancer-free.
What advice would you give your younger self ?
Be patient. I have learned that patience is definitely a virtue. You don’t have to have everything all at the same time.