J. Mandela Barnes is an American politician who has been the 45th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the state representative for the 11th district from 2013 to 2017. Barnes is the first African American to serve as Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor.
Meet Mandela Barnes’ Mother And Father
Barnes was born in Milwaukee on December 1, 1986, the son of a public school teacher and a United Auto Workers member.
Jesse is his father’s name and his middle name, Mandela, is a tribute to the anti-apartheid activist and first South African black president Nelson Mandela. Barnes says he has gone by his middle name since birth. His legal name is J. Mandela Barnes.
Barnes attended Holy Redeemer Christian Academy in Milwaukee; Milwaukee Public Schools, including John Marshall High School; and Alabama A&M University.
Mandela doesn’t come from a wealthy or well-connected family. But he does come from a proud union family. He was born in Milwaukee in one of the most impoverished and incarcerated Zip codes in the state.
His dad worked the 3rd shift at the GM factory and his mom was a Milwaukee school teacher for 30 years. Mandela’s parents taught him the values of hard work, perseverance, and the importance of a good education.