In becoming the 49th vice president of the U.S., Kamala Harris gave away the only Senate seat held by an African American woman. Cori Bush, an African American woman and freshman member of the House of Representatives, tweeted, “Black women shouldn’t have to sacrifice our representation at one table to have a seat at another.” While historic, Harris’ victory will do little to increase opportunities for Black women within elected office. Instead, she was forced to forgo her power in one arena for another. Despite making history as the first Black and South Asian female vice president, Harris is only one person. She shouldn’t be the sole figure representing Black women in higher office. While Black women continuously drive out voting efforts, their representation across Congress is severely lacking and disproportional. 

Despite being hailed as the saviors of recent elections by Democrats, Black women are still failing to receive adequate representation in Congress. Harris was only the second Black female senator, with the first being former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun (D-Ill.), who served one term as an Illinois senator from 1993-99. Other Black women across the Democratic party have worked tirelessly to support the party with little reward. After narrowly losing the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race, Stacey Abrams centered her work around voting rights in Georgia. She created Fair Fight, an organization dedicated to voter enfranchisement, and has cemented herself as an advocate for all voters helping to register over 800,000 new voters throughout her campaign to end voter suppression. But even then, she does not hold political office and it is unclear as to when she will rise up to the position she deserves. 

Black women continue the fight to end inequality through voting campaigns and advocacy and yet wait for their place within government to materialize. Without numerous legislative positions, Black women’s issues are poised to be left behind and ignored until Black women are able to advocate for these issues themselves. The traditional Black proverb stated in many households, that “in America, you gotta work twice as hard [as white folks] to get half as much,” rings true of the increased effort Black women must put into every facet of their campaigns if they dream of achieving office.

Placed at a difficult cross section, women of color, especially Black women, have to navigate the intersection of their identities in nuanced ways. In U.S. politics, racial minorities tend to be men, while women in politics tend to be white. There has been little room for intersectionality due to preconceived notions of how minorities should look in politics. Minority candidates must navigate these stereotypes from the moment they begin their campaigns, fighting against racism and sexism more so than their traditionally male or white counterparts. 

With few Black women holding congressional office, the battle for representation is more pressing than ever before. Before Harris could be sworn in, she had to resign from her position in the Senate. To replace Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who became the first Latino senator from California in a state that is 39% Latinx. Though the appointment was an important step toward equal representation for California, it came at the cost of another minority group’s representation. Different minority groups across California such as Black Women United and Equality California lobbied for different choices to fill Harris’ seat. Equality California lobbied for Robert Garcia, the Latino and openly gay mayor of Long Beach. Black Women United advocated for the appointment of either Rep. Karen Bass from Los Angeles or Rep. Barbara Lee from Oakland, both seasoned Black female lawmakers, to fill Harris’ position. 

Minority populations should not be pitted against each other in the quest for representation. These disagreements, often within the Democratic Party, sow division instead of unifying the party behind a new leader. Instead of focusing on party growth, Democrats engage in representation squabbles, with race becoming a defining factor in who is appointed. Identity politics have infiltrated the political spectrum, and without engaging in substantive representation, these squabbles shift the focus on specific identities rather than progressive legislation. If numerous minorities gain office in the Senate, losing one won’t spark division among others. 

While the racial and gender makeup of Congress continues to diversify, Black women, and all women of color, deserve greater representation. Though the 116th Congress was the most diverse since 1930, it still failed to mirror the population distribution of the U.S. Since 1789, there have been over 11,000 representatives in Congress, yet only 50 of those representatives have been Black women. Black women are drastically underrepresented in Congress and across statewide positions. 

Black women’s issues don’t end with Harris. Black women have to face a maternal mortality rate three times worse than white women, a criminal justice system that disproportionately prosecutes them and police brutality throughout America. These are only a few of the myriad issues Black women face, and yet there is no one in the Senate who personally faces these issues, addresses them. Because of the lack of representation within the Senate, no one is consciously and actively advocating for Black women the way they should. Black mothers and girls deserve a voice in the Senate to tackle pressing legislative matters. 

No one is showing up for Black women like they showed up for the rest of America. 

Keep the 2022 midterms in mind and remember Black women and their contributions. Remember their work in remedying the injustices of our nation. Remember their lack of representation in Congress, especially in the Senate. Remember the centuries of America built off their unpaid labor. Remember Black women. Vote for Black women. 

Rachel Broun (23C) is from Carrboro, North Carolina.

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Rachel Broun (23C) is from Carrboro, North Carolina, majoring in anthropology and women's, gender and sexuality studies. She writes for the Editorial Board. Outside of the Wheel, Broun often finds herself doing crafts, working for Theater Emory and watching "The Real Housewives" series.