By Isaac Donsky
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
It’s 2014 and Pamela Queen is going to do something she never considered.
She’s going to run for elected office.
Earlier in the year, several friends ran for office in Montgomery County. Two of them were African-American women who lost. Queen wasn’t pleased.
“I felt that there wasn’t a strong presence of African-American women representing the state,” Queen said. “If elections are about electing people to represent the community, something is wrong here.”
Before her run for election, Queen was involved in politics on the grassroots level only. While she served on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee for several years, Queen primarily focused on getting out the vote, volunteering for candidates and booking elected officials to speak with members of her church.
It was during her time in the Central Committee that she met members of the District 14 team, which represents Montgomery County in the Maryland legislature.
“I knew Pam back when she was running for the Central Committee,” Delegate Anne Kaiser said. “I always knew her as someone who was very active in the community.”
When a spot opened up on the District 14 team in 2016, Queen threw her name in the hat to become a delegate. She was appointed to the seat in February of that year, becoming just the second African-American woman to represent Montgomery County.
Since then, Queen has won reelection and has crafted an image as a champion of the underserved, a thoughtful leader and someone who can work across the aisle – no small feat in today’s political climate.
“I have found Delegate Queen to be very professional and passionate,” said Republican Delegate Mike McKay. “Regardless of the issue, whenever I have worked with her, she has treated me with respect and grace.”
Queen was born in New York City in 1960. She moved to Montgomery County in 1984, one year after graduating from Tuskegee University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. She has put that background to good use, serving as co-chair of the legislature’s Economic Stability Workgroup since 2019. She’s also a professor of finance at Morgan State University in Baltimore, a position she’s had for the past 10 years.
“The knowledge that she has in the area of finance has been very beneficial to our team,” Kaiser said. “We all have different areas of expertise. Whenever we need help with education or tax problems, we turn to Pam.”
It’s not just finance that Queen is passionate about. A quick scan of her official website shows a broad swath of issues that she’s invested in.
“One of the reasons that I decided to run was to champion legislation that I think hadn’t gotten as much attention.” Queen said.
In her four years in the House, Queen has dedicated each session to a different issue. One year it’s criminal justice reform, the next year it’s poverty.
Many times, the issues are personal. During her second session, Queen focused on gun control and domestic violence. She has experienced both: A family member had recently been shot during a dispute, and a female cousin had been killed by domestic violence.
“Sometimes a bill comes to you because someone brings it to you. Other times, you have personal experience with the issue,” Queen said.
Queen’s most recent session saw her tackle childhood hunger. She was the primary sponsor of the Summer SNAP Bill, which provides free and reduced meals for disadvantaged students during the summer months.
The bill took three sessions to pass, and Queen had to work with members of the Republican Party to push the bill through the House.
While two rival political parties working together may seem like a pipe dream in today’s political climate, Queen says it’s a lot easier to find common ground on the state level.
“It’s not as bad for us as it is on the federal level,” she said. “But when it comes to the issue of how to allocate funds, that’s where we start to see divides.”
Queen worked closely with McKay, a Republican from Alleghany County, on the bill. McKay, a native of Rockville, first met Queen in Annapolis after she was appointed. He became a co-sponsor of the Summer SNAP Bill almost immediately.
“Since I represent Alleghany County, I understand poverty and its effects in the school system,” McKay said. “Alleghany County is at the bottom of many household income charts in Maryland. Working to feed our children and making sure the dollars go to the cafeteria is a priority of mine.”
Because they’re from different political parties, McKay and Queen follow different paths to find a solution, he said. The end goal of getting to the solution remains.
“A relationship built upon compromise is paramount, and the ability to respect each other needs to be demonstrated daily,” McKay said.
Even working together on legislation can’t solve every disagreement. While Queen generally gets along with Maryland’s Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, she does have some reservations.
“I think what people see from Hogan kind of varies depending on the issues you champion,” Queen said. “A majority of folks say he’s not so bad on some issues, but he kind of sticks it to us sometimes on issues we aren’t in agreement with.”
Queen particularly takes issue with Hogan’s veto of a bill that would fund Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A graduate of an HBCU herself, and a professor at one, Queen was not a fan.
“What message are you trying to say by vetoing that bill?” Queen asked. “His public opinion may be popular, but he’s doing little things to hurt us politically.”
Despite these disagreements, Queen is viewed as a valued member of the Maryland legislature. Within the District 14 team, her work is praised by team leader Craig Zucker, District 14’s senator and the man who Queen replaced in the House of Delegates.
“She has continued to provide leadership in the areas of school-aged students having access to meals and summer programs,” Zucker said. “I am very proud of the work we have done alongside the entire District 14 legislative team.”
Zucker says Queen’s work ethic and smarts have helped her earn leadership roles throughout the house. He points to her position as chair of the House Economic Matters Committee as proof. He’s also proud of the community work she has done.
“We secured more than $100 million in school construction funding for our district along with tens of millions of dollars for local community projects,” Zucker said. “All of this was possible because we worked together as a team, which ultimately benefits out entire community.”
At this point in her political career, Queen isn’t looking at a run for higher office. Instead, she’s content at the state level. Still, a cabinet position might be an option, Queen said.
“I just hope that I go down as a champion of the disenfranchised during my time in office,” she said.