| Reader situation | What the record shows | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| You need the current benchmark | 26 Black women officeholders at the start of the 117th Congress (January 3, 2021 to January 3, 2023), making up 4.9% of Congress against 7.6% of the U.S. population | Use the gap between share of Congress and share of population as the headline measure, not the raw count alone. |
| You want the starting point | Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968 to New York’s 12th District, the first African American woman in Congress | Begin any timeline here, then add later firsts by state or chamber. |
| You want the long-run trend | 47 Black women have served in Congress since 1968; the previous high for voting members was 23, in the 116th Congress (2019-2021) | Compare each Congress with the one before it to see whether growth is steady. |
| You are weighing barriers | Chisholm’s party was hesitant to back her as a female candidate; Black women remain underrepresented, especially as U.S. Senate candidates | Treat these as documented examples of obstacles that precede the ballot. |
| You want other groups | Latina, Asian American and Native American women each have their own first-elected dates and counts | Apply the same three measures: first elected, current count and share of the chamber. |
Figures come from the Higher Heights Leadership Fund report on the 117th Congress and a Shirley Chisholm biography on womenshistory.org.
Women of color in politics remain underrepresented in Congress: Black women held 4.9% of seats at the start of the 117th Congress, against 7.6% of the U.S. population.
For the wider picture of how women enter and hold office, see the guide to women in politics. This page groups the record by what a reader needs to know, pairing the first to win office with the numbers that show where the gap stands.
If you need the current numbers
The most detailed count in this record covers Black women at the start of the 117th Congress. It suits readers who want a dated benchmark for US Congress rather than a general impression.
Chamber counts and the population gap
The Higher Heights Leadership Fund counted 26 Black women officeholders serving at the start of the 117th Congress. Of those, 25 were representatives, who made up 5.7% of all U.S. Representatives. Across both chambers, Black women were 4.9% of all members of Congress, even though they were 7.6% of the U.S. population.
The population comparison is the more useful yardstick. A rising count can still sit below population share, so a reader judging progress should ask how far a figure is from parity, not only whether it went up.
Reading a record high
The previous high for Black women voting members of Congress was 23, reached in the 116th Congress. The 117th Congress therefore set a new high, which fits a pattern of gradual gains. Higher Heights still describes Black women as underrepresented overall. A new record is a good reason to check the trend, but it does not close the gap on its own.
Share within a party gives a different reading. Black women made up 9.7% of all Democrats in Congress, a larger slice than their share of Congress as a whole. Readers comparing groups should keep the yardstick the same: whole Congress, one chamber or one party, but not a mix.
If you want the history
The history of Black women in Congress starts with one election and runs through to firsts still being recorded in individual states. This section suits readers building a timeline or looking for a named starting point.
Shirley Chisholm, 1968
Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman in Congress, winning a seat in 1968 as Representative of New York’s 12th District, according to the biography at womenshistory.org. She served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Before that, she had been the second African American in the New York State Legislature, elected in 1964.
Her record did not stop at the House. In 1972 she became the first woman and African American to seek a major-party presidential nomination. Readers following that thread can continue with the list of women who have run for president.
Cori Bush and Missouri
Firsts did not end with Chisholm. The example shows why state-level firsts matter. A group can already have a long national record and still be absent from one delegation.
The long record since 1968
Two have served in the U.S. The imbalance between chambers is the main lesson of the long record. House seats have accounted for nearly all of the progress, so the Senate figure is the one to watch.
If you are weighing the barriers
The documented barriers in this record appear before a candidate reaches the ballot and again at the highest level of office. The examples below are specific ones, not a full inventory.
Party gatekeeping
When Chisholm ran for the New York State Legislature, the party was hesitant to back her as a female candidate, according to the womenshistory.org biography. Endorsement and organizational support can decide who gets a serious start. A candidate who meets resistance there often has to build an independent base first.
Barriers outside the campaign
The same biography records that, as a young teacher, Chisholm was turned away by employers once they realized she was Black. Barriers of this kind shape who accumulates the professional record and local standing that often precede a run. They help explain why representation lags long after the law changes.
The Senate gap
Higher Heights reports that Black women continue to be underrepresented overall, and especially as U.S. Senate candidates. For a statewide race, that points to a thinner pipeline of candidates and fewer precedents to build on.
Practical preparation helps with these obstacles. The guide on how to run for office as a woman covers the steps from deciding on a seat to building support.
If you are looking for other groups
Latina women elected officials, Asian American women in Congress and Native American women in Congress each have their own histories of first election and their own current counts. The Black-women figures above show what to look for in each one.
Tracking firsts and counts by group
A fair comparison needs the same measures for every group. A decision list keeps the comparison honest:
- Current officeholder counts: the Center for American Women and Politics tracks women officeholders and is the place to check present numbers for each group.
- First-elected names and years: House and Senate historical offices publish member biographies, which are the best place to confirm who was first and when.
- Share of the chamber: divide each count by the chamber it belongs to, as Higher Heights does when it states 5.7% of the House for Black women, so groups are compared on one yardstick.
- Dated figures: record the Congress each number describes. A count from the 117th Congress is not interchangeable with one from a later Congress.
This approach suits readers writing about one group or comparing several. It does not suit anyone who wants a single combined total for all women of color, because counts defined differently cannot be added reliably.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Were the Black women serving in the 117th Congress all from one party? | Yes. Each of the 26 Black women serving as voting members in the 117th Congress was a Democrat, according to Higher Heights. Of the 45 Black women who have served in the House since 1968, 44 were Democrats and one was a Republican. |
| How long did Shirley Chisholm serve in the House? | Her House tenure lasted seven terms, according to the womenshistory.org biography. |
| Do the 117th Congress figures describe the current Congress? | They describe the 117th Congress, which ran from January 3, 2021 to January 3, 2023. A later Congress needs a fresh count, and the same measures can be reapplied to it. |
| Why does the population comparison matter more than the raw count? | Black women were 4.9% of Congress and 7.6% of the U.S. population, so the comparison shows how far representation sits from parity even when the count reaches a record. |
