The United States House of Representatives includes 435 members. It has been this way for the entirety. However, at no point has more than 84 woman held state representative offices at one time; meaning, that women have held no more than nineteen percent of the seats in the House of Representatives. This percentage is extremely unproportional when considering the last US Census, which reported just more than fifty percent of the United States is female. It also is a bit ironic considering the House of Representatives is supposed to be the half of Congress that represents the people most accurately, as it is more proportional to the population than the Senate. But as women, we have never even had more than nineteen percent representation in the House of Representatives. This means women are either not being elected when they run, (which, as shown in the last election, is clearly not true), or they are simply not as likely to run for office. The latter is the bigger systemic issue that is slowly but surely being resolved. From the time of 2010 to 2018, both parties have seen an increase in women running, with Democrats nearly doubling their US House nominees. And it shows; as of January third, there are now officially 102 women representatives, twenty-three percent of the House of Reps. While we are making history for countless reasons as generation z (a fair mix of good and bad), let this be one that you can undoubtedly take pride in.
Though there are far more woman than I can explore in this article that are newly elected to the House, here are a few names worth remembering.
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib: the two first Muslim- American congresswomen of the United States. Omar is representing a Minnesota district, where she has lived for the past twenty years. Her family is from Somalia, where they fled a brutal civil war when Omar was only eight years old. Past political work has been closely related to racial equality, education access, and environmental protection, as well as support for working families. Rashida Tlaib is not only the one of the first Muslim- American congresswomen, she was also the first woman to ever serve in the Michigan Legislature. She is an attorney from Detroit, Michigan. In Detroit, she is best known for taking on corporations polluting rivers, but has also done work in support of better education and easier healthcare access. Veronica Escobar and Sylvia Garcia: the two first Hispanic congresswomen from Texas. Escobar has worked hard in her district of El Paso, Texas, to make healthcare more accessible, and for an overall better quality of life for those she represents. Sylvia Garcia is a lawyer and social worker who is passionate about education. Her priorities in office include women’s healthcare and immigrant rights.
Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids: the first two Native American women in Congress. Deb Haaland is representing New Mexico; she is a lawyer and single mom as well as a thirty years sober, having previously struggled with alcoholism. These struggles have pushed her to prioritize affordable healthcare, promoting an environmentally friendly future, as well as tax reform and care for the working class. Sharice Davids is representing Kansas. Like Congresswoman Haaland, Davids is especially looking for healthcare reform, and also wants to prioritize care for working families, in addition to education. She is the daughter of a single mom and veteran who is looking to bring diversity, and with that, a new perspective to Congress.
Ayanna Pressley and Jahana Hayes: the first African- American women to represent Massachusetts and Connecticut (consecutively). Ayanna Pressley is from Massachusetts and was elected to the Boston City Council in 2009; she is a long time activist and sexual violence survivor which has motivated her work. From there she created the committee for the Council called “Healthy Women, Families, and Communities” which focuses on sexual violence, trauma support, education, and fighting against poverty. She will be looking to target the same issues in Congress. Jahana Hayes is a nationally awarded teacher from Connecticut. During her term she will look to target education issues, social justice, immigrant rights, and environmental protection.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez: the youngest woman elected to Congress. She is from the Bronx, New York. This is her first time running for any office; her past experience includes being a campaign organizer for Bernie Sanders. The main issues of her platform include wanting medicare for all, fully funded university schooling, and housing for all.
Though the government has been off to an undesirable and rocky start, these women, and all freshmen in the House of Representatives have two years to make their impact.