2018 was the year of women running for Congress, and elected to Congress a few days ago were eight women of color. They brought to life this New Yorker cover of an otherwise black-and-white figure drawing of US Congressmen. Newly elected Congresswomen of color are: Veronica Escobar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sharice Davids, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Deb Haaland, and Sylvia Garcia.
The wave of historic wins won’t bring Congress anywhere near equal representation—women of color are approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population and less than 8 percent of the House and Senate. But experts say the latest increase will help to make Congress more responsive to the communities it serves.