Maryland’s Angela Alsobrooks and Delaware’s Lisa Blunt Rochester made history last week by becoming the first two Black women to concurrently serve in the U.S. Senate.
Only five Black women have been elected to serve in the Senate in U.S. history, including Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester, who were elected on Nov. 5. Vice President and Howard alumna Kamala Harris, who lost her presidential race against former President Donald Trump last week, is also one of the five.
After winning against former governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan in a highly contested race, Alsobrooks gave her victory speech at The Hotel at the University of Maryland.
“This is the America that I will continue to work for, to make it work for each one of you so that you can experience the American dream,” she said.
Alsobrooks expressed a commitment to an American nation that works for everyone.
“I will make your care, my concern, your hope, my focus and your dreams, my work in the days and years to come,” Alsobrooks said.
Blunt Rochester celebrated her win over Republican candidate Eric Hansen and Independent Mike Katz at the Chase Center on the Riverfront.
“I ran not to make history, but to make a difference,” Rochester said.
Paying tribute to the previous Black female senators who preceded her, including Harris, Carol Moseley Braun and Laphonza Butler, she offered an inspiring message to young people nationwide saying that she sees them, and is grateful for them.
Students said this achievement symbolizes a turning point in American politics, bringing representation to a space historically dominated by white, male legislators.
Ashleigh McDermott, a journalism major and political science minor from Baltimore, Maryland, reflected on the impact of Alsobrooks’ win.
“It speaks volumes on what Marylanders consider true democracy,” she said. “It’s refreshing and inspiring to know that my community continues to advocate for a party that reflects the values our constitution needs to uphold more than ever today.”
Tamryn Sainten, a senior majoring in international affairs from Wilmington, Delaware, who had worked on Rochester’s congressional campaign as an eighth grader, highlighted the significance of representation in a “white and male-dominated socio-political space.”
“Having a Black woman as senator will not only put our issues on the map but represent the diversity that exists there,” she said.
Both McDermott and Sainten voiced hopes for policy changes, particularly in areas impacting marginalized communities.
“We are hoping to see our adversities make a priority in their power, for inclusivity is the rhetoric spoken but not upheld in this nation,” McDermott said.
Sainten emphasized the importance of having advocates for issues that disproportionately impact Black women, such as reproductive freedom and gun violence and expressed confidence in Rochester’s abilities to navigate the challenges ahead in a Republican-majority Senate.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
