A Liberian-born American, Naquetta Ricks, has won second term in the Colorado State House as Representative.
She snagged 61.8 percent of the votes against her Republican rival, Le Sellers on Tuesday, November 8, sealing a second two-year term.
In 2020, Ricks entered the race for Representative and became the first Liberian woman to hold an elected position in the United States for now.
She left the country in the aftermath of the 1980 Coup d’état and moved to Colorado with her mother and sister to begin a new life.
It was there she saw the need to have her voice in the United States political system and ran unsuccessfully for the board of regents but that did not deter her; rather, it made her even more determined to forge ahead.
In addition to her position as the Representative for House District 40, Ricks is also the President and Founder of the African Chamber of Commerce for Colorado.
In her first term she passed nineteen bills, such as the Immigration Defense Fund, Home-Owners’ Association Transparency and Accountability, Diverse K-12 Workforce Report, Towing Customer Bill of Rights and Mental Health Gap Funds.
“I am looking forward to working on critical issues facing Colorado, such as public safety, affordable housing, mental health and climate change,” she said.
She is committed to supporting Liberia in its growth and development as part of the year of the Diaspora team and a part of the planning committee on the diaspora engagement summit held in May of this year.
As you may recall, Ricks also jointly led efforts in bringing over US$1 Million worth of medical equipment and supplies to Liberia earlier this year, in support of the war against COVID 19.
A dedicated Christian, she said, “Praise be to God. Thank you, HD 40, for re-electing me. I am grateful for your support and confidence.”
“We have a lot of work to do together for Colorado and I am fired up and ready to go back to the Capitol! #BlueTsunami.” Ricks added on her Facebook page.
