Representation in America
- We Unite
- Sep 5, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 6, 2020
As an African-American woman in America, I am always underestimated and never seen the strong, educated women I am. Now take that powerless feeling I wake up with every morning and picture it as an 8 year-old watching another Caucasian male winning the election. In that child’s eyes, the person running the world right now has all the power and looks nothing like them. Growing up I never had many role models that looked like me, especially in the government. For example, as stated on “The First African-American Woman Elected to Congress,” “On this date at the opening of the 91st congress (1969–1971), Shirley Anita Chislom of New York became the first African-American Congresswoman.” To us now this sounds like forever ago, but in perspective the first congress originated March 4th, 1789. This type of misrepresentation doesn’t just apply to African American females but to Hispanic, Asian and all POC (people of color) throughout the world. It is not often you see a Hispanic male leading a government let alone a Hispanic female. For example, the senate didn’t originate until the year 1787 but the first Hispanic representation wasn’t until 1928 when “Mexican-born Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazalo became the first Hispanic American to serve in the U.S. Senate” (senate.gov). Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month) and the first Asian being Hiram Fong who “served nearly two decades as one of Hawaii’s first U.S. Senators” (FONG, Hiram Leong). It has taken almost 200 years since the start of these government branches formed to have any sort of representation.
Now imagine being a female in that position but with even less power, once again, because of something that is out of your control. Caucasian women didn’t even have the right to vote until after the 19th amendment was passed (1920) but even then not everybody could vote, especially not people of color. All of this is intertwined with race and gender. It is hard enough being a woman in America, imagine adding being a POC to that list. The people who have overcome these battles have set great examples for me and many other kids as we look towards people like Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the United States, and Hilary Clinton, who became the first woman presidential nominee of a major United States political party. It is amazing what these people have done, not even counting the effort that had to be put in and the obstacles that they had to overcome to beat out these norms and become one of the first people that looked like them to hold power in a country where they are looked down upon.
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Written by Adell D. from Seffner Florida
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