Learning from the Black Women of the US Congress: A Research Agenda

Black women have been historically excluded from U.S. Congress and the policymaking power available in the institution. This presentation shares details about the 52 Black women who have navigated this raced and gendered institution (Hawkesworth 2003) since 1969. We discuss data on these Black Congresswomen, including, but not limited to, their educational attainment, occupations prior to serving in Congress, and ties to Black Greek Letter organizations. We argue that this descriptive data will prompt new questions for legislative scholars and open conversations about disciplinary norms and assumptions, which may need revision in light of Congress’ increasing diversification. We are pursuing a research agenda with Black Congresswomen at the center including fundamental questions about how institutions operate and how political elites respond to the change norms and practices of these institutions. Some of our research questions include: How does Black women’s legislative style differ from each other and from their Black men and white women counterparts? How do Black women engage in collective representation through legislative organizations like the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues? Finally, how are Black women framing policy debates and developing communications strategies in light of new social media tools? We hope our work will illustrate the heterogeneity among Black Congresswomen themselves as well as how these marginalized legislators are navigating and shaping U.S. Congress.