By Chloé Richards
AframNews
https://aframnews.com/
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”- Michelle Obama. On January 3rd, 2025, two Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks were sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris to serve in the United States Senate. This is the first time that two Black women have held Senate seats at the same time, a major milestone for Black women and politics.
The U.S. Senate is one of two parts of Congress, (the other is the House of Representatives) which makes laws for the country. Senators are responsible for representing and helping their state. There are 100 senators in total, two for reach state. They serve in their positions for 6 years.
Lisa Blunt Rochester represents the state of Delaware, she made history before in 2016 when she became the first Black woman and person elected to represent Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives. She served in this position for 2 years. Angela Alsobrooks represents the state of Maryland. Before joining the Senate, she was the County Executive of Prince George’s County, Maryland. Both women are replacing White males. Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks both based their campaigns of off lived experiences that are usually tailored specifically towards Black women, being single moms and having to find childcare while still being persistent in chasing their dreams.
Blunt Rochester got her start in politics in by interning for former Representative Tom Carper, the man she has succeeded in the Senate. Alsobrooks also got her start by interning for the Congressional Black Caucus, she then became the state’s attorney and later the county executive.
Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks will be the 4th and 5th women to have served in the U.S. Senate. Carol Mosely Braun represented the state of Illinois, and she made history when she became the first Black woman elected to Senate, she served from 1993-1996. 20 years later, Vice President Kamala Harris became the 2nd woman to serve in the Senate representing the state of California. In 2023, Laphonza Butler was appointed to take Vice President Harris’ seat. Although Vice President Harris’ assumed her role as VP in 2021 her Senate seat remained vacant for 2 years.
Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks had very different experiences running for Senate, it was predicted early that Blunt Rochester had a good chance at winning. Alsobrooks, however, defeated a millionaire and then entered a tight race against a previous Maryland Governor. By election day Alsobrooks was ahead of her competitor by double digits.
Black women are continuing to make history, as Michelle Obama said there is no limit to what can be accomplished. The achievements of these women are big steps for equality in politics, their success is inspiring to many people and shows that change is possible when a difference is being made.
