Women of Color: We Are Rising
By Jada Reid ‘22
Our congress is extremely white. It has been like this for years and years on end. Not only is it extremely white, it is also extremely heterosexual cisgender male, which is exactly why in 2018 and now, the 116th Congress excites so many underrepresented, marginalized communities. For me, this is the first time I have ever felt drawn to paying attention to congress because I feel so heavily and largely represented, more than I ever have before. Slowly, but surely, women of color and the queer community are becoming more and more visible. The numbers might be small for now, but the impact is large.
Although the first woman of color to be elected into Congress was Patsy Mink of Hawaii in 1964, this year social media has been exploding with excitement for some of the newly elected women of color, along with the excitement for some of the newly elected queer officials. These are just a few new congresswomen of color to name: Deb Haaland, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Lauren Underwood, Lucy McBath. In total, women of color makeup 8.8% total members of congress (“Women of”). Although this number is small, their voices are extremely loud, and as a person of color I feel genuinely more represented. Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez are two exceptional examples of how influential extended voices can be. Both of these women use social media to their advantage -- by interacting with their followers and supporters and ultimately using their platforms on twitter and instagram to educate for the better. Alexandira Ocasio Cortez holds instagram lives to reach out to her followers -- making politics feel more accessible to her community. As more women of color are elected into congress, young women like me begin to feel hope. These congresswomen reach out in more diverse ways and refuse to ignore their communities. Seeing myself represented through the words and fights of that 8.8% make me feel like I, too, can help reform America’s “democracy.”
What makes this cohort of Congress so exciting is that there are a lot of “first ever” representations. Of course one person cannot speak the voice of million oppressed individuals, but one voice can amplify those who have never been able to formally speak. For some groups, this is the first Congress to ever have even one elected official representing them. Alone, it is exciting that the percentage of holistic representation for women of color is increasing, but for individual communities, it can be even greater. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslim women to serve in Congress, along with Omar being the first Somali-American to ever be elected into the House of Representatives (Grasso). Alexandra-Ocasio is the youngest woman, Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland the first Native American women. Deb Haaland is also the first openly queer Kansas congresswoman. The list of increasing representation continues. After centuries of oppression and erasure, having Native American voices in the congress is vital in order to seek reparations and equality for Native American communities. After white Supremacist America stole Native American land, murdered their families and their cultures, they continued this oppression by maintaining the seats in congress as majority white and non-native. Finally -- Native Americans officials in congress, allowing their voices to be heard and advocated for. In addition, having an increase in younger voices is exciting as well. Considering its our futures that are in the hands of this predominantly old, white, heterosexual male governmental space, it is exciting to feel like congress members who personally understand my struggles now have space to advocate for my future. Because people of color, queer people, and younger representatives are physically and emotionally being represented and advocated for, it feels like there will be some sort of shift in policy making. Ocasio pushing the Green New Deal is a perfect example.
Of course, there are a plethora of statistics that I could share to prove my points, but in the end it all comes down to this: women of color are growing stronger. We are taking our rightful spaces in the government, we are amplifying our voices for our oppressed communities, and we are not backing down. The presence of these incredible congresswomen push forward the acts of decolonization and further show that the oppressed will rise in unity. We are strong, we are resilient, and we are loud.
Works Cited
Grasso, Samantha. “Women of Color, Queer Candidates Winning the Midterms Isn't a 'Silver Lining'-It's the Main Event.” The Daily Dot, The Daily Dot, 7 Nov. 2018, www.dailydot.com/irl/queer-women-of-color-midterm-wins/.
“Women of Color in Congress.” US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives,
history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Data/Women-of-Color-in-Congress/.“Women of Color in Elective Office 2019.” CAWP, 22 Mar. 2019,