While I was writing this article, thinking about ways to hint at Nevada, the final outcome of the election was being announced worldwide, finally declaring Joe Biden and Kamala Harris new president and Vice - president of the United States, officially this time.
Let’s just admit it, these four days have been a real roller coaster and almost no one has been confident enough to declare with certainty a premature winner. This has also been, however, an election of many firsts as far as women are concerned, starting from Kamala herself, first female, black and Asian American VP in the history of the USA. Let’s see the others.
All the way to Congress
A great number of women have been elected to the 117th Congress this year, reaching a total of 131 seats, a new feeble record considering the 127 conquered in 2019 and still far from parity with a total of 535.
In order to clarify, Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States; it is divided into Senate and House of Representatives and composed of 535 members who’s role is to represent the people of their district by holding hearings or by developing and voting on legislation.
Getting back to the point, what really amazed us is the House of Representative taking a big step forward. Many States have chosen women for the first time, including North Carolina’s 6th District with the democrat Kathy Manning. A record concerning Native American Congresswomen has also been reached and prominent figures such as democrats Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, representing respectively New Mexico and Kansas, have retained their seats after have been elected in 2018 as first Native American women in Congress.
BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people have too received very happy news during this election, let me explain why. Mauree Turner is the first non-binary state lawmaker in America and first Muslim to serve in Oklahoma’s state legislature; Michelle Rayner-Goolbsy is the first Black queer female state legislator in Florida; Cori Bush is the first black woman ever elected to represent Missouri in Congress, Marilyn Strickland is the first Korean-American woman ever elected to the House, Stephanie Byers is the first Native American trans person elected to any state’s legislature and, last but not least, Taylor Small is the first openly transgender legislator elected in Vermont.
Speaking of the Senate, names to remember are certainly those of Kim Jackson, first LGBTQ person elected to the Georgia State Senate, and of Sarah Mcbride, first transgender state Senator in American history.
The Squad
Although almost obviously, the Squad has luckily been reelected in its integrity by the American people. What’s the Squad? It’s a group formed by the four women in the picture below who won a seat in the last House of Representatives elections in 2018.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the famous AOC, from New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
These four iconic Congresswomen have pledged to represent the demographic diversity of a younger generation and to advocate progressive policies, such as the Green New Deal, and will continue to do that by collaborating with one another to create “a more equitable and just world” as said by Pressley herself.
From the left, Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Focus on Georgia
It hasn’t voted blue for 28 years straight, so who had the power to made Georgia change its mind? The answer is, again, a woman, Stacey Abrams. After not have been chosen as state’s Governor in 2018, Stacey least idea was to give up. She got over her loss and built a network of organizations, the “Fair Fight”, to highlight the suppression of voters organized by her opponent, accused of years of purging of Georgia’s voter rolls, and inspiring over 800,00 new voter registrations.
Biden probably owes his advantage in the state to the new voters convinced by Stacey who also was earlier this year with Kamala Harris in the President’s list of potential vice -presidential candidates.
History was made
All things considered, we can confirm that this week will surely be remembered as a week of change for America and for the world. As Kamala Harris said, a big barrier has been broken and new hope given to all women.