A Special Groundbreakers Post; Groundbreakers of Today
If you’re in the US (and even if you’re not), you may have heard that we had midterm elections this past Tuesday (and hopefully participated!). While the results were far from perfect for progressives, and some races still haven’t been called, there was still plenty worth celebrating. Over 100 women were elected to Congress, an historic high, many of whom broke the usual mold of white, straight, and Christian. I’m thrilled to have the rare opportunity to share the stories of Groundbreakers who are making history at this very moment!
I won’t be profiling every women who was elected, but there are a few historic milestones of these women elected to Congress that are particularly exciting:
Youngest Woman: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY)
[image from Ocasio2018.com]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history earlier this year by defeating 10-term Congressman Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District, which includes parts of both the Bronx and Queens boroughs of New York City. Crowley was part of the Democratic leadership in Congress and the 4th-ranked House Democrat, and was also known as “The King of Queens” for how powerful he was in his district. Although her victory was assured since she’s in a heavily Democratic district, Ocasio-Cortez officially made history by becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, at age 29.
Ocasio-Cortez, like many of the other women I will discuss here, is quite progressive compared to most establishment Democrats–she is a democratic socialist, more similar to Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats but is actually independent. She supports Medicare for All, tuition-free college, going green to help fight climate change, among other left-leaning positions.
What was particularly inspiring about her campaign is that she took no corporate money (an increasingly popular position even amongst some establishment Democrats), only taking small-dollar donations similar to Sanders’ average $27 donation. She also spoke with voters individually, going door to door in a real grassroots effort. This was part of what made people vote for her over Crowley, who assumed he had the district in the bag since he had for so long, and was essentially phoning it in. The district, which is heavily Latino, had had enough of someone who wasn’t really representing them, and Ocasio-Cortez, who was working as a bartender, was sick of seeing what was going on in politics, which made for the perfect storm. And, best of all, she isn’t afraid to speak her mind! She promises to be an excellent representative for her district, and I count myself among the people who look forward to seeing what she will accomplish in this important role.
First Muslim Women: Rashida Tlaib (MI), Ilhan Omar (MN)
[image from Tlaib’s Twitter account]
An incredible milestone has been reached by the first two Muslim women being elected to Congress this year. Keith Ellison of Minnesota became the first Muslim elected to Congress in 2006, but 12 years later we finally have the first Muslim women: Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
Rashida Tlaib is of Palestinian heritage and grew up in Detroit. After earning her law degree, she got involved in politics and won a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. She ran in 2018 to represent the 13th District of Michigan and won the primary, running unopposed in the general election. She not only became one of two Muslim women elected to Congress, but also the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress.
Like Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib holds progressive positions. She is also a democratic socialist, and supports Medicare for All and a $15 minimum wage. She also believes in abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), due to their participation in separating families at the US-Mexican border. And she is even more outspoken than Ocasio-Cortez, and not afraid to raise her voice. She will undoubtedly will be a voice for the interests of the people in her district, much of which is African-American and poor and needs the improvements that Tlaib is seeking.
[image from Minnesota Monthly]
Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia. After fleeing with her family to Kenya during the Somali Civil War, she moved to Arlington, VA, then to Minneapolis. She learned English quickly, participated in local politics with her grandfather, and became a US citizen in 2000 at age 17.
After working as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota, she became involved in politics, serving as campaign manager for candidates for the Minnesota State Senate and Minneapolis City Council. She was a Senior Policy Aide for for the City Council member. She later became Director of Policy & Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network, which helps women in East Africa get civic and political leadership positions.
In 2016, Omar became the first Somali American legislator in the country by winning her election for the Minnesota House of Representatives. She won the seat in Congress, replacing Keith Ellison who has since been elected Minnesota Attorney General, becoming the first Somali American elected to Congress. She supports many of the positions already described. As a member of a heavily Somali part of Minneapolis, she has a promising career ahead of her politics.
First Black Women from New England: Ayanna Pressley (MA), Jahana Hayes (CT)
While there have been a number of black women elected to Congress, many states have not yet elected any. Enter Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes from Connecticut.
[image from Boston.gov]
Ayanna Pressley was born in Chicago and attended Boston University, but never received her degree. She worked as a district representative for Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II, eventually becoming his political director and senior aide. She also served as political director for Senator John Kerry.
In 2009, Pressley was elected to the Boston City Council, the first woman of color to do so. She was reelected four more times. She ran for the US House seat against Michael Capuano, who was also relatively progressive, but won the primary in September despite the polls favoring Capuano. She ran unopposed in the general election and became the first black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts, in a seat once occupied by President John F. Kennedy. She represents a district that is racially diverse, and supports universal health care, defunding ICE, and fighting sexual violence as a victim of it herself. She has already had a very impressive career in political service and is now on the national stage, where she is sure to shine.
[image from EMILY’s List]
Jahana Hayes’ story has a true “American dream” story if that still exists anymore. She was born to a drug addict and grew up in public housing in Connecticut, and got pregnant when she was 17. She went to school to become a teacher and became a government and history teacher in her hometown of Waterbury. She was named Connecticut Teacher of the Year in 2016, which earned her media attention to speak about education in America.
She won the Democratic primary in August and the general election, becoming the first black woman elected to Congress from her state. In addition to supporting universal health care, she also supports stricter gun control, as she experienced first hand the effects of guns in her poor neighborhood. Hayes’ background in education will make her an excellent representative for people she has already gotten to know well.
First Native American Women: Deb Haaland (NM), Sharice Davids (KS)
Last but certainly not least, it is a shame but perhaps not surprising knowing our history that it has taken until 2018 for Native American women to be elected to Congress, but now it has finally happened!
[image from Haaland’s Twitter account]
Deb Haaland of New Mexico was born in Arizona and is a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. She received both her bachelor and law degrees (in Indian law) from the University of New Mexico. She’s done a ton of work with Native American people, including serving as a tribal administrator and the state vote director for them in Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. She became the chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party in 2015, during which time the Democrats got back control of the state House. After that, she decided to run for the seat in the 1st district and won the primary in June, winning the general election. She believes in clean energy, particularly as a Native American who went to the protest at Standing Rock. She also has similar progressive positions to the other women described here.
Sharice Davids of Kansas, besides being Native American, has the additional distinction of being the first openly gay representative from Kansas. A member of the Ho-Chunk nation, Davids received her law degree from Cornell. After a brief stint as a mixed martial arts fighter, Davids held a number of different positions, including directing community and economic development at a reservation, owning a coffee shop, and working as a White House Fellow in the Department of Transportation between the Obama and Trump administrations. She defeated a Sanders-endorsed candidate in the Democratic primary, and the incumbent Republican in the general election. Her eclectic background will make her someone to watch as she heads to Washington.
Roundup: Looking Ahead to a Brighter Future
The great thing about all these women is that, while they have different specific issues that they care about, they are all progressive and see this country as more diverse and inclusive than some on the other side would have us believe. But what’s also great is that these women are from all backgrounds and walks of life, which is exactly what our Congress needs more of. Unlike the typical representatives and senators of the past who all went to the same few prep schools, Ivy League schools, etc., these women could not have more different upbringings and educations. They are reflective of what America truly is, not what only the privileged can afford.
We still have a long way to go in the fight for more equitable representation, but I hope these results would make Pauli Murray proud.
[top image from The New York Times]
Great post
Thanks for reading!