It’s been a very crazy week in politics. There have been some huge wins and losses all around, but in the midst of it all was a monumental moment for black women.
History was made in Missouri this past week as Cori Bush was elected to the state’s 1st Congressional District, which covers the St. Louis area. Bush, who is a democrat, will be Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman.
Bush is a registered nurse who got into politics after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. She has been a huge supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, not just over the past few months, but for the past several years. If you’re interested in seeing her rise to congress, then you should watch Knock Down The House on Netflix.
Bush gave a moving victory speech on election night where she promised St. Louis that things were going to change.
“St Louis: my city, my home, my community. We have been surviving and grinding and just scraping by for so long, and now this is our moment to finally, finally start living and growing and thriving,” Bush said in her speech. “So, as the first Black woman, nurse, and single mother to have the honor to represent Missouri in the United States Congress, let me just say this. To the Black women. The Black girls. The nurses. The single mothers. The essential workers. This. Is. OUR. Moment.”
Bush ended her speech with a call to everyone to come together and work toward a better community.
“This moment is brought to us by us – by our movement for social, racial, and economic justice. Now, our movement is going to Congress,” Bush said. “And we will meet the challenges of this moment as a movement: side by side, arm in arm, and with our fists in the air – ready to serve each other until every single one of us is free.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who was also featured in Knock Down The House, was re-elected to New York’s 14th Congressional District. She and three other women make up what is known as “the squad.” The group of women- AOC, Ilan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib- were elected to the House of Representatives in 2018. The group of Democratic women strives to represent the demographic diversity of a younger generation in politics, as well as advocate for a number of progressive policies.
It now looks as though these women might be adding a new member to their “squad.”
Author: Ashli Ellerman