Senator Smallwood-Cuevas spent two decades serving as an educator, labor organizer and community activist. Raised by a single mother who worked as a homecare worker, CNA and registered nurse, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas grew up in a working family who moved to California in search of a better education, good union jobs, and a pathway to self-sufficiency.

After graduating from California State University at Hayward, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas started her career in journalism. Her first union membership was with the Newspaper Guild, where she documented the lives and societal interests of working families. She moved on to serve as a researcher and political and community organizer for SEIU Local 1877.

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas co-founded the Los Angeles Black Worker Center to increase access to quality jobs, reduce employment discrimination, and improve industries that employ Black workers through action and unionization. Coining the term Black Worker Center, the Los Angeles Black Worker Center ultimately became a model for the emerging National Black Worker Center Network represented across the country.

Senator Smallwood-Cuevas also served as the Project Director for the UCLA Labor Center, where she directed the Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity (CARE) at Work. Her impact has been nationally recognized by former President Barack Obama, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, and many others. She additionally served as the treasurer of the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board and held leadership positions with various civic organizations.

Her personal and professional goals have always been centered on making a more equitable California for working families. Her leadership and work experience have shaped her understanding of politics, public policy, and how to adapt systems change for the betterment of all Californians.

As a longtime resident of South Los Angeles, Senator Smallwood-Cuevas is a wife and mother of two who has spent her life's work dedicated to improving the tangible conditions of working families.