A conversation with Dr. Shirley Weber, California’s secretary of state, who was a leader in starting the reparations process.

Those of us lucky enough to be elections officers have a solemn responsibility: to root out toxic mistrust, ensure transparency and continue to expand access to the ballot.

Shirley Weber made history when she was sworn in as California’s first Black Secretary of State last week.

“This is a sister who doesn’t back down,” Weber said with a chuckle. “This is a woman that when it’s right, it’s right.”

“How ironic it is that a girl whose father could not vote, whose grandparents never had a chance to vote, is now responsible for 40 million Californians and their right to vote,”