Meet the Inspiring New Women in Congress

Meet the Inspiring New Women in Congress November 10, 2016

My daughter watched videos about women’s suffrage on repeat the week leading up to the election. She’s only in second grade, but she’s been fascinated by women’s suffrage for several years now. When she was only five years old she sat down and watched an hour-long documentary about it, by herself. On Tuesday night, when she began to cry as I put her to bed, I told her about the brave female Senators and Congresswomen who will fight for her and for her friends. Hillary Clinton may have lost her bid to be the first female president of the United States, yes, but we have some absolutely amazing up-and-coming female politicians following in her footsteps.

Tammy Duckworth

Tammy Duckworth is a veteran who lost both of her legs in the Gulf War. She’s also the newest Senator from Illinois. Duckworth is the daughter of a U.S. marine; her mother is an immigrant from Thailand.

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris was elected to U.S. Senate from California. Harris, the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, is the second black female U.S. Senator and the first Indian U.S. Senator.

Catherine Cortez Masto

Catherine Cortez Masto, elected to U.S. Senate from Nevada, is the first Latina senator in history. The granddaughter of a Mexican immigrant, she is passionate about immigration reform, among other things.

Pramila Jayapal

Pramila Jayapal was elected to the U.S. House from Washington State. Born in India, Jayapal is the country’s first Indian American Congresswoman. She is the former director of a pro-immigration advocacy group.

Val Demings

Val Demings grew up attending segregated schools. She was the first in her family to attend college, and was the first female chief of the Orlando Police Department. She is now the eighth African American Florida has sent to the U.S. House.

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa Blunt Rochester was Delaware’s first African American Secretary of Labor. Running on a progressive platform, she is the first woman Delaware has sent to the U.S. House.

Stephanie Murphy

Stephanie Murphy was elected to the U.S. House from Florida. Murphy’s family fled her native Vietnam when she was only one. She is the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress.

We may not have a woman president this time around, but we do have inspiring new female lawmakers, many of them immigrants or the children of immigrants. These women will be in Congress when Trump sets about building his wall, among other things, and while they may not be able to stop him (that remains to be seen), they will certainly put up a fight. We couldn’t ask for better role models for our daughters.


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