History of Women of Color in U.S. Politics

For information on women of color currently serving in elective office click here. For a quick list of "firsts" for women of color in politics, visit our Milestones for Women in American Politics timeline page. 

U.S. Senate

Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL), a Black woman, was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Senate, serving from 1993-1999. Mazie Hirono, an Asian Pacific Islander, was elected in 2012 and is currently serving. Three women; Tammy Duckworth (D-IL, Asian Pacific Islander), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV, Latina) and Kamala Harris (D-CA, Black and South Asian) were elected in 2016.

Black – 1 (1D)
Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL)        1993-1999

Asian Pacific Islander – 2 (2D)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)                  2013-Present
Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)          2017-Present

Latina – 1 (1D)
Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) 2017-Present

Multiracial – 1 (1D)
Kamala Harris (D-CA)                 2017-Present

U.S. House of Representatives

Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-HI), an Asian Pacific Islander, was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, serving from 1965-77 and again from 1990-2002. The first Black woman elected to the House was Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), who served from 1969-83. The first Middle Eastern/North African woman elected to the House was Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH) who served from 1977-1993. The first Latina elected to the House was Ileana Ros Lehtinen (R-FL), who was elected in 1989 and served until 2019. The first Native American/Native Alaskan women, Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Debra Haaland (D-NM), elected to the House were elected in 2019 and currently serve. 
 
A total of 74 women of color have served in the U.S. House of Representatives. In addition to the women currently serving (listed here), they are:
Black – 20 (19D, 1R)   Asian Pacific Islander – 5 (4D, 1R)  
Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) 1969-83 Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-HI) 1965-77; 1990-2002
Yvonne Brathwaite Burke (D-CA) 1973-79 Patricia Fukuda Saiki (R-HI) 1987-91
Barbara Jordan (D-TX) 1973-79 Mazie Hirono (D-HI) 2007-2013
Cardiss Collins (D-IL) 1973-97 Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) 2013-2017
Katie Hall (D-IN) 1982-85 Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) 2011-2015; 2016-19
Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI) 1991-97    
Eva M. Clayton (D-NC) 1992-2003 Latina – 5 (4D, 1R)   
Carrie Meek (D-FL) 1993-2003 Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) 1997-2017
Denise Majette (D-GA) 2003-2005 Hilda Solis (D-CA) 2001-2009
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) 1993-2003; 2005-07 Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-CA) 2013-2015
Corrine Brown (D-Fl) 1993-2017 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) 1989-2019
Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) 1996-2007 Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) 2013-2019
Julia Carson (D-IN) 1997-2007    
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) 1999-2008 Middle Eastern/North African– 1 (1D)
Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI) 1997-2011 Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH) 1977-1993
Diane Watson (D-CA) 2001-2011    
Laura Richardson (D-CA) 2007-2013    
Donna Edwards (D-MD) 2008-2017    
Mia Love (R-UT) 2015-2019    
Brenda Jones (D-MI)* 2018-2019*    
  * Brenda Jones was elected to a partial term (11/29/18 to 01/03/19).    

Statewide Elective Executive Offices

One woman of color currently serves as governor. Five women of color currently serve as lieutenant governor in addition to the seven who have already served. 

Black – 16 (11D, 5R)
Velvalea "Vel" Phillips (D-WI)
Pamela Carter (D-IN)
Vikki Buckley (R-CO)
Denise Nappier (D-CT)
Karen Freeman-Wilson (D-IN)
Jennette Bradley (R-OH)
Jennette Bradley (R-OH)
Velda Jones Potter (D-DE)
Sandra D. Kennedy (D-AZ)
Jennifer Carroll (R-FL)
Jenean Hampton (R-KY)
Sheila Oliver (D-NJ)
Tish James (D-NY)
Juliana Stratton (D-IL)
Sandra Kennedy (D-AZ)
Carolyn Stanford Taylor (D-WI)

Asian Pacific Islander – 9 (6D, 3R)
March Fong Eu (D-CA)
Jean Sadako King (D-HI)
Cheryl Lau (R-NV) 
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Mona Pasquil (D-CA)
Nikki Haley (R-SC)
Betty Yee (D-CA)
Fiona Ma (D-CA)
Kimberly Yee (R-AZ)

Latina – 22 (17D, 5R)
Soledad Chacon (D-NM)
Margaret Baca (D-NM)
Elizabeth F. Gonzales (D-NM)
Jessie M. Gonzales (D-NM)
Clara Padilla Jones (D-NM)
Stephanie Gonzales (D-NM)
Lena Guerrero (D-TX)
Gloria Tristani (D-NM)
Patricia Madrid (D-NM)
Rebecca Vigil-Giron (D-NM)
Mary Herrera (D-NM)
Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
Susan Castillo (D-OR)
Dianna Duran (R-NM)
Susana Martinez (R-NM)
Nellie Gorbea (D-RI)
Evelyn Sanguinetti (R-IL)
Susanna Mendoza (D-IL)
Stephanie Garcia Richard ((D-NM)
Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)
Jeanette Nunez (R-FL)
Lea Marquez Peterson (R-AZ)

Native American/Native Alaskan – 
  3 (2D, 1NP)
Valerie Davidson (NP-AK)
Denise Juneau (D-MT)
Peggy Flannagan (D-MN)

Multi-racial – 2 (D)
Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Kathleen McGuiness (D-DE)


Sec. of State
Atty. General
Sec. of State
St. Treasurer
Atty. General
Lt. Governor
St. Treasurer
St. Treasurer
Corp. Comm.
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Sec. of State
Lt. Governor
Sec. of State
Lt. Governor
Acting Lt. Gov.
Governor
St. Controller
St. Treasurer
St. Treasurer 


Sec. of State
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Rail Comm.
Corp. Comm.
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Governor
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Lt. Governor
St. Controller
Land Commissioner
Governor
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Lt. Governor
Supt. Pub. Instr.
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Atty. General
Auditor
1979-1983
1993-1999
1995-1999
1999-2019
2000-2001
2003-2005
2005-2007
2009-2011
2008-2012
2011-2013
2015-present
2018-present
2019-present
2019-present
2019-present
2019-present


1975-1993
1979-1982
1991-1995
1995-2003
2010-2010
2011-2017
2015-present
2019-present
2019-present


1923-1926
1931-1934
1935-1938
1939-1942
1983-1986
1991-1998
1991-1992
1995-1997
1999-2007
1999-2007
2007-2011
2007-2015
2003-2012
2010-2015
2011-2019
2015-present
2015-2019
2017-present
2019-present
2019-present
2019-present
2019-present



2018-2019
2009-2017
2019-present


2011-2017
2019-present

State Legislatures

The first women of color to serve in state legislatures, listed in chronological order, were:
Black       

                   
Asian Pacific Islander   

Latina   


Native American/Native Alaskan 		 Minnie Buckingham Harper (R-WV House) appointed 1928
Crystal Dreda Bird Fauset (D-PA House) elected 1938

Patsy Takemoto Mink (D-HI Senate) elected 1962

Fedelina Lucero Gallegos (R-NM House) elected 1930
Porfirria Hidalgo Saiz (D-NM House) elected 1930

Cora Belle Reynolds Anderson (R-MI House) elected 1924

(Information from Elizabeth M. Cox, Women State and Territorial Legislators, 1895-1995, McFarland & Company, Inc., 1996.)

State Legislative Leadership

State senator Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) was the first woman of color and the first Asian Pacific Islander woman to lead either house of a state legislature; she served as Hawaii's Senate president from 2007-2011. Karen Bass (D-CA) was the first woman of color and first Black woman to serve as a House speaker, leading California's Assembly from 2008-2010. Crisanta Duran (D-CO) was the first Latina to serve as a House Speaker, serving from 2017 to 2019.

Mayors

Women of color who have served as mayors in the nation’s 100 largest cities are:

Black      
Lottie Shackleford
Carrie Saxon Perry
Sharon Pratt Kelly
Sharon Sayles Belton 
Shirley Franklin 
Sheila Dixon      
Yvonne Johnson
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake 
Muriel Bowser
Paula Hicks-Hudson
Ivy Taylor
Catherine Pugh
Sharon Weston Broome
London Breed (acting)
Vi Alexander Lyles
Keisha Lance Bottoms
LaToya Cantrell
London Breed
Lori Lightfoot

 
Little Rock, AR
Hartford, CT
Washington, DC
Minneapolis, MN
Atlanta, GA
Baltimore, MD
Greensboro, NC
Baltimore, MD
Washington, DC
Toledo, OH
San Antonio, TX
Baltimore, MD
Baton Rouge, LA
San Francisco, CA
Charlotte, NC
Atlanta, GA
New Orleans, LA
San Francisco, CA
Chicago, IL
1987-1991
1987-1993
1991-1995
1994-2001
2001-2009
2007-2010
2008-2010
2010-2016
2015-present    
2015-2018
2014-2017
2016-2019
2017-present
2017-2018*
2017-present
2018-present
2018-present
2018-present*
2019-present		 Asian Pacific Islander 
Eunice Sato
Jean Quan 
Lily Mei

Latina
Heather Fargo 
Nelda Martinez
Mary Casillas Salas


Long Beach, CA
Oakland, CA
Fremont, CA

 
Sacramento, CA
Corpus Christi, TX
Chula Vista, CA


1980-1982
2011-2015
2016-present

 
2001-2009
2014-2016
2015-present
* London Breed served as acting mayor of San Francisco from 12/12/17-1/23/18. She was subsequently elected and took office on 7/11/18.