Carlottia Scott

Carlottia Scott was born in El Paso, Texas, to Florence Broyles Washington and Harvey L. Washington. She attended the all-black Douglass Grammar and High School, even though it was across town from her home, until El Paso’s school system integrated in 1956. Her mother volunteered at a nearby nursery school and her father worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad as a janitor.

Scott’s father was active in the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a black-led railroad workers’ union. Stationed in Texas, he stayed up to date on the news that traveled with workers crisscrossing the nation’s railroad network. He was also one of the presidents of the El Paso chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). At a young age, Scott grew accustomed to meetings and elections in her home.

In 1970, she began her political career as a volunteer on the campaign of California congressional candidate Ronald V. Dellums—an opportunity her father discovered through his union connections. Scott experienced the “grunt work” of campaigning: buying water, fetching supplies, licking envelopes, knocking on doors, and answering phones. After Representative Dellums won the House seat, Scott attended The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, for a degree in political science. She graduated in 1972 and returned to El Paso.

While working as a dental assistant in El Paso, Scott traveled to DC to work for the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Foundation each fall. In 1979, she moved permanently, with her three children, to the capital to work for Illinois Congresswoman Cardiss Collins. Soon after, Representative Dellums, by then the chair of the Committee on District of Columbia, hired Scott as a committee staffer. In 1984, she became chief of staff in his Member office.

During her long tenure in the House, Scott continued to work closely with the CBC, developed a new-Member orientation, and became a member in several peace organizations at Dellums’ request. Both she and the Congressman encouraged their staff to engage with current issues of their choosing. For nearly two decades, the office worked tirelessly to pass economic sanctions against South Africa, as part of the anti-apartheid movement. This work culminated in 1986 when Congress overrode a presidential veto to pass the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act. Four years later, Scott joined Representative Dellums in welcoming African National Congress President Nelson Mandela to the Capitol.

Congressman Dellums resigned from the House in 1998. Scott’s closest childhood friend, Barbara Lee, succeeded him in Congress. Scott served as Representative Lee’s chief of staff to help establish her House office before retiring from the Hill in 2000. She remains active in political organizations and peace advocacy groups and currently lives in South Carolina.