What is Lillian’s List?

Lillian’s List recruits, trains and supports progressive women, who are champions of reproductive freedom and equity for women, to run for public office in North Carolina. Through our Action Fund, we provide strategic guidance and political training to women leaders across North Carolina who are interested in running for political office. The Lillian’s List PAC supports pro-choice, progressive women running for the General Assembly and Council of State.

Who is Lillian?

Lillian Exum Clement was not only the first woman to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly, but also the first woman to serve in any state legislature in the South. In 1920, at just 26 years old, she ran and won against two male opponents in a primary election before the Equal Suffrage Amendment had even passed. Clement said of her experience running for office: “I want to blaze a trail for other women. I know that years from now there will be many other women in politics, but you have to start a thing.”