Helen Giddings

Helen Giddings (born April 21, 1945) is an African American community leader, entrepreneur, and a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, a position that she has held since 1993 from her native Dallas County, Texas. She sits on the House committees of Appropriations, Calendars, and State Affairs, of which she is the vice chairman.

Giddings attended the University of Texas at Arlington. She previously served as an executive with Sears, Roebuck & Company, and was responsible for human resources in 11 states. In 1989, she founded Multipled, Inc., a specialty concessions company, of which she is president. A former board chairman of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce, in the 1980s, as Vice-Chair of the Dallas Transit Board, her mediation skills were employed to end a bus driver strike. Dallas' D Magazine named her one of Dallas' top power brokers of the 1980s.

In 2003, Texas Democrats from the state House and Senate made national headlines when they traveled across the state border to Oklahoma and New Mexico, respectively, en masse to deny a quorum for voting on a redistricting plan.

The walkout by House Democrats came in the closing weeks of the 78th Texas Legislature. Fifty-three, later 56, House Democrats ended up at a Holiday Inn in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Giddings, however, stayed behind, although written statements claimed she was in support of the Democrats who walked out. She was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers outside her Austin apartment, and taken to the Texas capitol.

She has focused much of her time and energy on providing equal educational opportunities for children. In 1997, she authored the legislation establishing the "Read to Succeed Program" which included then Governor George W. Bush's reading initiative. The program enables Texas drivers' to order a special license plate, and the proceeds provide financial support to the Texas school library of the driver's choice. The "Read to Succeed" license plate is the first Texas license plate designed by a child. She authored legislation that prohibits five-year-olds being placed in alternative education. In 1995, Giddings authored legislation to prohibit alcohol-related businesses near schools.

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