The 113th Congress of the Unites States was sworn in earlier this week, and it is the most diverse in history. This is a key movement in the direction towards government reflecting the society which it represents, and the changing attitudes which go with it. We’ve made a few posts about this over the past few months, but here are some of the highlights of this Congress all together in one place:
1. 98 Women, up 5 from the 112 congress
2. Oldest acting member of the House to still be in office
3. 7 openly gay or bisexual members, including the first open members ever in both the Senate and the House
4. 43 African American members
5. 31 Latino Members
6. First Buddhist member of the Senate
7. First Hindu member of the House of Representatives
8. 12 Asian American or Pacific Islander members, the largest ever
9. First African American representative from the south elected since Reconstruction Era
10. First Disabled women to be elected to the House, who also happens to be a double amputee
11. First state to be entirely represented by women in Congress (New Hampshire)
You can find more on the ‘numbers’ of this Congress here. Congratulations to all the members of the 113th Congress, both old and new! Let’s hope that this new face of Congress can get things moving!
Written By Georgianna Reilly, L.M.S.W.
SJS Staff Writer
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