Erna Savita Myrkvadattir

*This name uses Velkanian naming customs; the last name is a patronymic, not a family name. This person should be properly referred to by the given name* Erna.

 **Other politicalaffiliations** | Social Democratic (until 2017)

**Erna Savita Myrkvadattir** (born 29 March 1987) is a Velkanian politician who has served as a member of the Orthing since 2018. She is a member of the Reform Party. Erna is the first woman of Tarfican descent to be elected to parliament in the Velkanian Isles.

Born in Blönvogur to a Velkanian father and Lenegalese mother, Erna completed upper secondary school in 2007, afterwards receiving a bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Greater Narísandur in 2010. After graduating, Erna began working as a community organizer at various nonprofit organizations, working specifically in fighting for racial equality and the representation of minorities in the Velkanian Isles. She stood unsuccessfully as a Social Democratic candidate in the 2014 general election, and later again in the 2014 SCGA election. In 2017, she switched her party registration to the Reform Party, and stood successfully in the 2018 general election.

## Early life and education

Erna was born on 29 March 1987 in Blönvogur to parents Myrkvi Ólafur Fjölvarsson (born 1948) and Sianta Falloo (born 1962). Her father worked as a technology executive, while her mother is a geriatric nurse originally from Sétiola, Lenegal; Sianta moved to Narísandur in the 1980s to work as a nurse, eventually meeting Erna's father. Erna is the eldest of four children; her younger siblings include Gabríela Sjunta, born  (1990-08-12) 12 August 1990 (age 33), Valdís Sana, born  (1991-12-20) 20 December 1991 (age 32), and Arnar Kasul, born  (1994-06-17) 17 June 1994 (age 29).

Erna began her education in 1993, attending a local, public primary school in Blönvogur, where she was the only black child in her class. She graduated from primary school in 2003, and afterwards enrolled in Kristganes Junior College, studying a general academic program. She graduated with her upper secondary school diploma in 2007, and subsequently enrolled in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Greater Narísandur, graduating with a degree in sociology in 2010.

## Community organizing

Erna began volunteering with community organizing efforts while a teenager. In 2006, she began volunteering with the Tarfican-Velkanian Association (TVA), participating in a number of fundraisers and protests on behalf of the representation of Tarficans in the Velkanian Isles. After graduating with her degree in 2010, she was hired as a community organizer at the TVA. In this position, she organized a number of protests and fundraisers for the group, and additionally appeared on television in order to advocate for their causes.

Erna left the TVA in 2014, and was hired as an organizer at the Velkanian Civil Rights Fund (VCRF), an organization dedicated to lobbying and organization for the rights of all minorities in the Velkanian Isles. She left in 2017, subsequently joining the Lenegalese-Velkanian Foundation, which advocates for the rights and representation of Lenegalese-Velkanians.

## Political career

### Early politics

Erna began her political career in 2014, when she was selected by the Social Democratic Party to stand as a candidate in the 2014 general election. Despite widespread media attention for the possibility of electing the first black woman to parliament, she ultimately did not receive a seat. Later that year, she was selected by the Social Democrats to stand in the 2014 SCGA election, but again did not win a seat.

### Member of parliament

In 2017, Erna switched her party registration to the Reform Party. In a publicized statement, she revealed that she had "similar experiences" to those of party founder Ásleif Guðlín Erlendardattir in regards to their treatment from Social Democratic party elites, but declined to go into further detail.

She was later included on the Reform Party electoral list for the 2018 general election, and ultimately was elected to the Orthing. Upon her election, she became the first black woman ever elected to parliament in the Velkanian Isles. She was appointed by Sif María Vilhjálmardattir to serve as the chairperson of the Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs and Family.

## Personal life

Erna is fluent in Velkanian, Maldonian, Forsish, and Ditrovian. While she has stated that she was influenced by Eurean Islam growing up, she does not identify with or practice the religion. Erna resides in Kristganes.