Yvonne B. Miller

Yvonne B. Miller
Yvonne B. Miller at the 2008 Democratic National Convention
Member of the Virginia Senate from the 5th district
In office 1988 – July 3, 2012
Preceded by	Peter Babalas
Succeeded by	Kenny Alexander
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 89th district
In office 1984–1987
Preceded by	Bob Washington
Succeeded by	Jerrauld Jones
Personal details
Born	Yvonne Bond (1934-07-04)July 4, 1934 Edenton, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	July 3, 2012(2012-07-03) (aged 77) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Alma mater	Norfolk State University Columbia University University of Pittsburgh
Profession	Educator, politician
Committees	Transportation (chair); Commerce and Labor; Finance; Rehabilitation and Social Services; Rules
Religion	Church of God in Christ

Yvonne Bond Miller (July 4, 1934 – July 3, 2012) was an American politician in Virginia. A Democrat, she was the first African-American woman to be elected to the state house when she won in 1983. Four years later, she was elected to the state Senate, and was consistently re-elected after that, dying in office.

Miller was born in 1934 as Yvonne Bond in Edenton, North Carolina, the eldest child of thirteen, to John T. and Pency C. Bond; she was raised in Norfolk after her family moved there. She attended local public schools, which were then segregated by state law.

Bond attended all-black Norfolk Division of Virginia State College, a historically black college (now Norfolk State University), for two years. She completed a B.S. degree in 1956 from the segregated, all-black Virginia State College (also a historically black college) in Petersburg, now Virginia State University. While in college, she became a lifetime member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority.

She began as a teacher in the Norfolk Public Schools, then segregated by state law imposed in the late 19th century.

She was a young teacher during the era when the US Supreme Court ordered desegregation of public schools as a constitutional issue, and the white-dominated Virginia state legislature and school districts promoted "massive resistance" to the ruling. This was a formative experience and she supported civil rights during her career.

Miller later earned an M.A. degree in the summer Teacher's College program at Columbia University in 1962 and a Ph.D in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1973. She joined the education faculty at Norfolk State, becoming a professor and head of the Department of Early Childhood/Elementary Education. In 1999 she retired and was named Professor Emeritus.