RHETTA BOWERS, C’89
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER/ADVOCATE
&
DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (DISTRICT 113)
Living my purpose with passion has been the real dream come true for me.
Posted by: Spelman Women To Watch
Thinkin’ Of A Master Plan. RHETTA Is Working Hers: “At present, my day usually starts with a morning prayer, then seeing my daughter off to school and my husband out the door. It was different years ago. I spent the first ten years of my professional career in the television industry but gave it up when we started our family. Then my work day consisted of grinding in a classroom for the local school system. I sought work within the school system to have the same schedule as my kids. This experience demonstrated so clearly to me the many needs in our community. I credit this as the motivation for my accepting the call to run for public office. Now, during an election year? My daily grind could mean a number of things: heading to a community organization luncheon, prepping for a media interview, heading to the office for fundraising or voter-contact calls. These are 12-hour days where you end up campaigning in the grocery store, and even in the nail salon. I love it. I am born to serve and look forward to meeting the needs of the community.”
Mother-Daughter Fun: “I’m unsure if you would call it a ‘guilty pleasure’ but what I most enjoy is watching a movie at home with my daughter. It’s also fun to sit with her and catch up on some of my favorite shows—like “This Is Us”—while she shares her day with me.”
RHETTA’S Most Proud Of: “Raising God-fearing children who aspire to greater heights academically and professionally than I could ever imagined. My children are hardworking and driven individuals, who I treasure as my greatest accomplishments. For my children, I left Corporate America to stay at home with them. Looking back, it was a sacrifice well-worth it because my son is a Presidential Scholar and rising sophomore at Morehouse College. My daughter intends to apply to our beloved Spelman. I have no regrets.”
NO PLAYA HATIN: “I play the game by not hating the playa. Literally. I live and thrive by keeping myself as my only competitor. Daily I strive to be better than I was the day before. Keeping my eye on the prize and staying focused helps me not to even think about the other playas.”
In An Apocalypse RHETTA Is Reading: “Awesomelyluvvie.com. Without a doubt. So much of my work-related reading and viewing is political in nature. Therefore something on the lighter side like Luvvie is desirable and helps to balance out the day. I guess we all need a break from work every once in a while.” Bottomless Brunch or Happy Hour Tapas?: My ‘go to’ is a Bottomless Brunch because anything that involves food and fellowship always delights my heart. I love being surrounded by those that I love and uplift, and those that have mutual feelings and agendas. There are enough folks in this world trying to tear us down, so why not spend any given Saturday or Sunday with the ones you love talking about ideas, politics of course, sharing lots of laughs and just good ole catching up?”
Next Display Of #SpelmanBlackGirlBrilliance: Community involvement and civic engagement earned Rhetta an invitation to the White House’s Office of Public Engagement during President Obama’s first term. She set out as a concerned mom and an involved parent to make the community a better place to live. “I figured being involved is what it was going take, even if that meant remaining the only African-American female on an all white, male city council appointed board.” Fast forward to January 2017 when Rhetta chaired the Dallas Women’s March. It was an empowering and positive March that drew thousands of participants. Now, Rhetta is gearing up to run for a Texas House District seat. “I ran for it in 2016, and I am now gearing up for the next election year with 2018 fundraising efforts already underway. I consider my greatest professional accomplishment to be accepting the call to public service, walking the very tough road in politics with integrity, and running a clean and successful campaign.”
