Gloria Travis Tanner, the first Black woman to serve in the Colorado Senate and a member of the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, died on Monday in her Denver home. She was 86.
In 2001, Tanner established the Senator Gloria Tanner Leadership and Training Institute for Future Black Women Leaders of Colorado. She was the lead founder of Colorado Black Women for Political Action in 1977; a co-founder with former Sen. Regus Groff of the Colorado Black Roundtable ; and the co-creator of NOBEL-Women headquartered in Washington, D.C. Tanner was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
In 1985, Tanner was elected to the Colorado State House and she became the second black representative to hold a leadership position — minority caucus leader, according to a. In 1994, when Sen. Groff retired, Tanner was appointed as his replacement, becoming the first Black woman senator in Colorado history.
As a leader in Colorado’s Capitol, Tanner, for over a decade, spearheaded civil rights efforts, Rep. Joe Neguse said on Twitter in February in a Black History Month salute. She served as the House minority caucus leader from 1987 to 1990. Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, the chair of the Black Democratic Legislative Caucus of Colorado, described Tanner as a mentor and an inspiration.
“Senator Tanner was a trailblazer whose determination and commitment to Colorado improved the lives of all people in our state, and I join Coloradans in mourning her passing. Gloria’s tireless devotion to serving our community uplifted the lives of so many Coloradans and families. Gloria was a mentor to us all,” Herod said in a statement.
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