America is commonly depicted as a diverse country that continues to welcome diversity. With a plethora of ethnicities, races, religions, genders and sexual identities, there comes a pressure for Congress and our national government to represent all voices. As freshmen congressmen and congresswomen enter media’s light, the conversation around diversity in government and its importance resurfaces.
So, here’s the question: Is diversity in our Congress important?
To put it simply, yes. Ideally, our government would proportionately resemble our country’s demographics to more accurately represent the masses and advocate for what various groups want, and with the election of the current Congress, it seems that this is becoming achievable.
At the end of 2018, Americans took to the polls and voted for who would represent them in the 116th Congress, and they made history. Now, 106 women and 115 minority members serve in the House, making our current Congress the most diverse Americans have seen. Additionally, Congress welcomed the first woman senator from Tennessee, the first two Native American women to serve, the first two Latinas elected from Texas, the youngest woman to serve, the first two Muslim-American women, the first black women elected from Massachusetts and Connecticut and the first openly bisexual person elected to the Senate from Arizona.
Our government needs the voices of people of different ethnicities, genders, races, sexualities and religions to advocate for the constituencies that are commonly overlooked and forgotten in the eyes of the government. Through diversity of ideologies and viewpoints in Washington, Americans will see a change in the way legislation is made and how lawmakers vote. This “varied perspective to the nation’s problems” is essential to fighting for change that directly impacts Americans, and the 116th Congress is the start.
“Diversity in Congress is important, because it’s important for every citizen to be represented in the government. That way, decisions that are made can benefit a larger group of people. Plus, when underrepresented kids see themselves in positions of power, they are able to recognize their own power,” commented Lizzie Stacks, a first year English and film double major from Aurora.
Stacks brings up a good point: when children, teenagers and young adults see people that look like them in public positions of power, they are empowered. They realize that there are people similar to them making changes in this world, and they feel encouraged to do the same. More importantly, they now have people in their lives that they can model and look up to if they don’t have that representation in their personal lives.
Diversity in our government has everything to do with making America a more united nation, so we can better act on the needs of America’s constituents. Moving forward, I anticipate that we will be seeing a lot more humanitarian-based legislation welcomed to the floor and that more American voices will be heard by Congress newcomers. I predict that we will continue to see a rise in the number of people of color, people from underrepresented religions and people in the LGBTQ+ community entering high government positions. Their influence will add a new and necessary perspective to future legislation that will highlight America’s common values of freedom, equality, individualism and growth.
