Women of Color in Congress

Since Representative Patsy Mink of Hawaii won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964, a total of 36 women of color have served in the U.S. Congress. Roughly three-quarters (28) of these women were elected after 1990. A total of 35 have served in the House; Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois served in the U.S. Senate (1993–1999). The first African-American woman to serve in Congress, Shirley Chisholm of New York, won election in 1968; 24 African-American women have followed her. The first Hispanic-American woman elected to Congress, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, entered the House in 1989; six other Hispanic-American women have followed her. In addition to Congresswoman Mink, three other Asian-Pacific-American women have served in Congress.