View source for Biography:Ezola Foster

{{Short description|American politician, activist, and writer}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Ezola Foster
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1938|8|9}}
| birth_place         = Maurice, Louisiana, {{wipe|United States}}
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2018|5|22|1938|8|9}}
| death_place         = Boulder City, Nevada, {{wipe|United States}}
| party               = Democratic (before 1984)<br />Republican (1984–2000)<br />Reform (2000–2002)<br />Constitution (2002–2018)
| alma_mater          = [[Organization:Texas Southern University|Texas Southern University]]
<!-- unknown parameter "religion" |religion    = [[Organization:Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]] -->| image               = File:Ezola Foster (cropped).png
| caption             = Foster in 2000
}}
'''Ezola Broussard Foster''' (August 9, 1938 – May 22, 2018)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/190788290/ezola-foster|title=Ezola Foster (1938–2018)|work=[[Social:Find a Grave|Find a Grave]]|date=June 22, 2018|access-date=August 30, 2019}}</ref> was an American conservative political activist, writer, and politician. She was president of the interest group Black Americans for Family Values, author of the book ''What's Right for All Americans'', and the Reform Party candidate for Vice President in the U.S. presidential election of 2000 with presidential nominee [[Biography:Pat Buchanan|Pat Buchanan]]. In April 2002, Foster left the Reform Party for the United States Constitution Party.

== Early life and career ==
Foster was born and reared in Maurice in Vermilion Parish in southwestern Louisiana, in 1938.<ref name="OTI profile" /> In 1960, she graduated with a BA in Business Education from [[Organization:Texas Southern University|Texas Southern University]]. She would go on to earn, in 1973, a Master's in School Management and Administration from [[Organization:Pepperdine University|Pepperdine University]].<ref name="OTI profile">{{cite web |title=Profile of Ezola Foster |url=https://www.ontheissues.org/Profile_Ezola_Foster.htm |website=On the Issues |access-date=April 30, 2021}}</ref> In 1960, she moved to {{wipe|Los Angeles}}, {{wipe|California}}, where she was employed as a public high school teacher for thirty-three years—teaching typing, business courses, and sometimes English classes.<ref name="OTI profile" />

== Political career ==
=== Early activism ===
Foster first ran for office in 1986, securing the Republican nomination for the California Assembly's 48th district. In the general election, she faced incumbent assemblywoman Maxine Waters; a third candidate, Libertarian José "Joe" Castañeda, was also in the race.<ref name="CA1986" /> In the three-person race, Foster placed second, securing 12.77 percent of the vote but losing to Waters by 72 percentage points.<ref name="CA1986" /> In 1992, she was a staunch defender of the police officers in the Rodney King beating case and organized a testimonial dinner for Laurence Powell, one of the convicted officers, in 1995.<ref name=tstanley>{{cite book|last=Stanley|first=Timothy|title=The Crusader: The Life and Tumultuous Times of Pat Buchanan|location={{wipe|New York City}}|publisher=St. Martin's Press|year=2012|pages=346–47; 349–50|isbn=978-0-312-58174-9}}</ref>

In 1994, while teaching at Bell High School in Bell, California, Foster was a public advocate of Proposition 187, a California ballot initiative to deny government programs of [[Social:Social services|social services]], [[Medicine:Health care|health care]], and public education to illegal immigrants. Her position was extremely unpopular at the school where she taught, which was 90 percent Hispanic.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> In 1996, she appeared on PBS's ''MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour'' to promote her new political book, ''What's Right for All Americans''. During her appearance, she argued that illegal immigration was responsible for the low quality of Los Angeles schools, some of her colleagues at the school condemned her in an open letter.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> Two days later, she attended an anti-illegal-immigration rally where several of her supporters were attacked by members of the Progressive Labor Party, who allegedly wanted to harm Foster herself.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> Shortly thereafter, she left her job, which she calls a necessity resulting from her treatment at work.<ref name="Encyclopedia" /> She went on speaking tours for the John Birch Society and took workers' compensation for an undisclosed mental disorder—which she describes as "stress" and "anxiety"—until her official retirement as a teacher in 1998.<ref name="Encyclopedia" />

Foster has appeared on ''Larry King Live'', ''CBS This Morning'', ''CNN & CO.'', ''Nightline, NewsTalk Television'', ''CNN Live'', MSNBC, ''Politically Incorrect'', and various CBS, NBC, and ABC newscasts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://digital.library.ucla.edu/websites/2001_998_001/WhoIsEzola.htm|title=Who is Ezola? – Ezola Foster for Congress|year=2001|publisher=UCLA Digital Library|access-date=February 9, 2009}}</ref>

=== 2000 election ===
Pat Buchanan, noting Foster's conservative media credentials and public speaking ability, asked her to be his running mate after Jim Traficant of Ohio, Teamsters Union president James P. Hoffa, and others declined his request. His critics claimed Foster, who had never held political office, was chosen because she was African American; they likened it to [[Social:Affirmative action|affirmative action]], a diversity-increasing policy that Buchanan had always opposed.<ref name=tstanley/>

Foster, who supported Buchanan's campaigns in 1992 and 1996, quit her speaking tour to join the race. While Buchanan was hospitalized during part of the campaign, Foster was the face of the campaign, making television and radio appearances. She is the first African American and second woman (after Geraldine Ferraro) to be nominated for vice president by a party that was recognized and funded by the Federal Election Commission.<ref name=tstanley/> During the campaign, Foster was the source of some controversy, drawing criticism for her membership with the John Birch Society and for her alleged mental illness which kept her from teaching.<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite web |title=Ezola Foster 1938– |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/foster-ezola-1938 |website=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=April 30, 2021}}</ref>

=== Congressional run ===
Foster ran for Congress in the June 5, 2001, special election in California's 32nd district to replace deceased representative Julian Dixon as the Reform Party candidate and garnered 1.5% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joincalifornia.com/election/2001-06-05|title=June 25, 2001 Special Election Results|date=June 5, 2001|website=JoinCalifornia|access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Foster was Catholic. Her first marriage ended in [[Social:Annulment|annulment]], she said, when she found out that her husband was a convicted felon.<ref>{{cite news|last=Barrett|first=Beth|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/FOSTER+FINDS+%60POLITICAL+SOUL+MATE%27.-a083398382|title=Foster Finds 'Political Soul Mate'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321171931/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/FOSTER+FINDS+%60POLITICAL+SOUL+MATE'.-a083398382|url-status=dead|work=Los Angeles Daily News|via=TheFreeLibrary.com|date=August 21, 2000|archive-date=March 22, 2019|access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref> Later, in 1977, she married Chuck Foster, a truck driver.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carlson|first=Peter|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/09/13/pat-buchanans-far-right-hand/035864c3-f433-4265-a6bc-d8ef2ba1cf16/|title=Pat Buchanan's Far Right Hand|work={{wipe|The Washington Post}}|date=September 13, 2000|access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref>

==Electoral history==
{{Election box begin no change|title=1986 California State Assembly 48th district election<ref name="CA1986">{{cite web |title=CA State Assembly 48 (1986) |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=443178 |website=Our Elections |access-date=April 29, 2021}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Maxine Waters
  |votes      = 42,706
  |percentage = 84.54%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Ezola Foster
  |votes      = 6,450
  |percentage = 12.77%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Libertarian Party (United States)
  |candidate  = José "Joe" Castañeda
  |votes      = 1,360
  |percentage = 2.69%
}}
{{Election box total no change
  |votes = 50,516
  |percentage = 100.00%
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2001 United States House of Representatives 32nd district special primary election<ref name="SpecialPrimary">{{cite web |title=Los Angeles County — Special Primary Election, April 10, 2001 |url=http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/sov/2002_primary/specials.pdf |website=California Secretary of State |access-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060227060941/http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/sov/2002_primary/specials.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2006 |date=April 10, 2001}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Reform Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Ezola Foster
  |votes      = 514
  |percentage = 100%
}}
}}
{{Election box total no change
  |votes = 514
  |percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change|title=2001 United States House of Representatives 32nd district special election<ref name="SpecialElectionGeneral">{{cite web |title=Congressional District 32 — Los Angeles |url=http://www.ss.ca.gov/SpecialElection/se32cd_060501.htm |website=California Secretary of State |access-date=April 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030220055628/http://www.ss.ca.gov/SpecialElection/se32cd_060501.htm |archive-date=February 20, 2003 |date=June 5, 2001}}</ref>}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Democratic Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Diane Watson
  |votes      = 72,955
  |percentage = 74.80%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Republican Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Noel Irwin Hentschel
  |votes      = 19,403
  |percentage = 19.89%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Green Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Donna Warren
  |votes      = 3,661
  |percentage = 3.75%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
  |party      = Reform Party (United States)
  |candidate  = Ezola Foster
  |votes      = 1,512
  |percentage = 1.55%
}}
{{Election box total no change
  |votes = 97,571
  |percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}

==Published works==
* {{cite book|last=Foster|first=Ezola|title=What's Right for All Americans|year=1995|location=Waco, Texas|publisher=Wrs Publications|isbn=978-1-56796-058-7}}

==See also==
* Black conservatism in the United States

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.issues2000.org/Ezola_Foster.htm Issues2000.org – Some of Foster's campaign positions and quotations]
* Foster, Ezola (August 31, 1995). "Let the Children be Children". ''National Minority Politics''

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|2203342}}
* {{C-SPAN|31373}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=Pat Choate}}
{{s-ttl|title=Reform nominee for Vice President of the United States|years=2000}}
{{s-aft|after=Peter Camejo}}
{{s-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Ezola B.}}
[[Category:Paleoconservatism]]

{{Sourceattribution|Ezola Foster|1}}