The Newest Faces in Congress, A Diverse Group Who Promise to Truly Represent the Disenfranchised
With the wrap-up of February and with-it Black History Month, I’d like to take the time and highlight some much-needed representation from the newly elected 117th congress. This newest congress is the most diverse in U.S. history, although it is still overwhelmingly white and male.
Representation is both important and meaningful, and the act of being represented within Congress is a great step forward. There is still much social strife in the U.S. and injustice solely based on someone’s race. Individuals who share these experiences, and are willing to fight to abolish racial prejudice, was key for many new members of Congress gaining their seats. Representation is a reflection of the status of society and its currently understood morality. Simply being represented does not bring change. It is how the power of that representation is used that will bring change. It’s still important to applaud these changes for the better within our society and to equally represent every person in the country. So, let’s meet some of the new faces in the 117th congress.
First, the newly elected Democratic Senator from Georgia, Reverend Raphael Warnock, helped hand a Democratic majority to the senate by replacing the Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler. Reverend Warnock also became the first Democrat to hold a seat in the Georgian senate since 2000. Warnock preached his advocacy to expand health care benefits and wants to ensure all working-class Georgians earn a fair, livable wage. Senator Warnock joined his running mate Jon Ossoff to hand the Democrats a decisive victory in the 2020 general election.
Next, Mondaire Jones, Democratic Representative of New York’s 17th Congressional District, and the first gay black man in Congress. Jones, 33, represents a newer, more progressive movement and hopes to bring much-needed representation for LGBTQ+ and black communities. Jones received support from former President Barack Obama, Jones worked within the Department of Justice while Obama was President and an endorsement from Senator Elizabeth Warren. He also received praise from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Mondaire Jones underpinned many of the same progressive policies as his contemporaries, including Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Marilyn Strickland is the first black and Korean American to represent the state of Washington. Strickland acts on behalf of Washington’s 10th Congressional District and was the Mayor of Tacoma before serving in Congress. She also supported the LGBTQ+ community, which included marriage equality and equal rights for transgender people.
Handing a key victory to the growing progressive movement, another newcomer, Jamaal Bowman represents New York’s 16th congressional district. Bowman successfully ousted 16-term incumbent Eliot Engel in the 2020 Democratic primary. He was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. Jamaal was a middle school principal and has been a teacher for years, advocating for better education opportunities for disenfranchised communities. Bowman champions the restructuring of public education, seeking to end the school-to-prison pipeline, help stop underfunding, and fight against the corporate-driven privatization of schooling.
Lastly, Representative Cori Bush is the first African American woman to represent Missouri’s 1st congressional district. Bush had monumental upset over the 10-term incumbent Lacy Clay in the Democratic primary. She ran on the agenda of Medicare for All, and protecting black lives, by Bush’s own words, “ to ensure that no family has to suffer at the hands of the police”. Bush was also an activist during the Ferguson and Black Lives Matter protests. For 400 days, Bush was on the frontlines as a nurse, treating protestors and fighting against injustice. Wanting to be a voice for individuals facing police brutality, Bush was one of the only politicians to run on an agenda of defunding the police. In her first few days in office, Bush drafted a resolution to investigate and expel any co-conspirators during the January 6th insurrection and declared it a white supremacist attack and that Donald Trump was the “white supremacist in chief.”
For these freshman Congress members, actions are more important than empty words. Many have faced hardships in life, either brought on by racial prejudice or growing up poor, and promise to fight for those in the same situation and give them actual representation. With Black History month wrapping up, it’s crucial to recollect upon the past and how much has been overcome, but to also continue moving forward and to achieve true equality for all.
