Welp, it occurred. Donald Trump defeated VP Kamala Harris, reminding us that the prospect of a Black lady ascending to the presidency over a loud and proud white nationalist male was, sadly, at all times a longshot. However good issues occurred on Election Day too, notably for Black girls in politics.
For the primary time in U.S. historical past, two states elected Black girls to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night time. Maryland elected Prince George’s County Govt Angela Alsobrooks (D), and Delaware elected Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D), who’s presently serving in her fourth time period within the U.S. Home.
Now, if we’re being sincere, a breakdown of the Senate’s historical past with Black girls makes this victory appear to be ridiculously sluggish progress. Nonetheless, that historical past additionally underscores what a major achievement Alsobrooks and Rochester made.
From NPR:
Their victories double the variety of Black girls ever elected to the U.S. Senate, from two to 4.
Carol Moseley Braun was the primary, in 1992, whereas Vice President Kamala Harris turned the second in 2016.
California Sen. Laphonza Butler is the third Black lady to serve within the chamber, however she was not elected — she was appointed in October 2023 to complete out the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s time period, which ends in January. She just isn’t searching for reelection.
In different phrases: Solely three Black girls have served within the Senate, and by no means on the similar time.
That’s set to vary when Alsobrooks, 53, and Blunt Rochester, 62, are sworn in subsequent 12 months.
Actually, not solely will two Black girls serve collectively within the U.S. Senate for the primary time in U.S. historical past, however they’re the primary Black girls to be elected for the place of their respective states. Rochester shall be Delaware’s first feminine senator. {That a} Black lady was the primary to attain that milestone in a state that’s almost 64% white and solely 22% Black is spectacular, and it says lots in a rustic that clearly couldn’t fathom a certified Black lady ascending to the presidency. In the meantime, Alsobrooks is the primary Black lady to be elected to any statewide workplace in Maryland.
To make certain, Alsobrooks’ and Blunt’s victories aren’t solely to be celebrated as a result of they’re Black girls. They have been elected after campaigning on points which might be of the utmost significance to Black individuals, particularly Black girls. particularly — Black well being.
Extra from NPR:
The 2 have since referred to one another as their “senator sister,” and spoken about their shared experiences and motivations relating to tackling points from prescription drug affordability to maternal mortality, which disproportionately impacts Black sufferers.
“The history-making half is sweet, however the impression is what we’re all going for, to make a distinction in individuals’s lives,” Blunt Rochester advised Elle in September. “The flexibility to go to the Senate and be one in all 100 — but additionally as two of solely 5 [Black women senators] within the historical past of this nation — can be unimaginable.”
So, Nov. 5 wasn’t all unhealthy.
Congrats and good luck to Senators-elect Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester. Your wins are well-deserved and your management is way, a lot wanted.
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