Last week, Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett once again went viral during a House Oversight Committee hearing. When committee chair James Carr deemed the Biden administration’s Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program as another DEI initiative, she gave Carr a piece of her mind.
“This election is the best example of why y’all are so afraid of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Crockett replied to Carr’s comment. “Because then you can’t have a simple-minded, underqualified white man somehow end up ascending. Instead, you have to pay attention to the qualified Black woman on the other side.”
Crockett’s words resonated with many and reminded Americans of how Black women in Congress have really been breaths of fresh air for years.
From putting the bigoted Georgia Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene in her place with an alliterative quip to dragging Donald Trump for his criminal history at the Democratic National Convention, Crockett — like those who have come before her —has used her position to speak up for Black folks…unapologetically.
Crockett is the latest in a small but distinguished number of Black women who have been vocal powerhouses in Congress — arguably starting with Rep. Shirley Chisholm
In 1969, Chisholm, who represented the 12th district of New York, became the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. During her tenure, she used her community activism background to advocate for the poor, women’s and immigration rights as well as support better education for children. Before becoming the first Black person from a major party to run for president, Chisholm also helped establish the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971.
Chisholm’s campaign slogan was “unbought and unbossed,” which trickled down to other Black women in office like Barbara Jordan, a Democrat from Texas who served in Congress from 1973 to 1979. She was praised in 1974 when she supported articles of impeachment against Nixon on national television.
“My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total,” Jordan said at the time. “I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution.”
More Black women would continue to push the proverbial envelope in politics. In 1982, Katie Hall became the first Black woman from Indiana to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and used her position to introduce a bill that made Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a national holiday just one year later.
Maxine Waters, who has served in Congress since 1991, has become known for her no-nonsense approach to hearings. She went viral in 2017 when she confronted Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin after he avoided answering a question by insisting that she was “reclaiming her time” — a phrase that has since become part of the lexicon.
Then, of course, there’s former senator and current Vice President Kamala Harris. Before making her way to the White House, she infamously advocated for women’s rights by pressing President Donald Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to answer one vital question during his 2018 confirmation hearings.
“Can you think of any laws that give government power to make decisions about male body?” she asked Kavanaugh, who could not give her an answer.
It’s also worth noting that Black politicians have demonstrated incredible vulnerability while in office. This is perhaps most strongly illustrated by Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who opened up about her struggle with alopecia exclusively with The Root. She gave a face to a condition that many Black women deal with and even revealed her bald head on camera for the first time.
As Crockett continues to become heavily quoted on the internet for her blunt and savvy demeanor, it’s important to recognize the women before her who truly set the precedent.
