For the first time in electoral history, the US Senate will have two Black women—Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)—in its ranks simultaneously. Prior to these wins, only three Black women—Carol Mosely Braun (1993–1998), Kamala Harris (2017–2021), and Laphonza Butler (2023–2024)—had ever served in the Senate. Despite Black women making up 8 percent of the country’s population, they were only 5.4 percent of all voting members of Congress in the last congressional session. Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks’s historic Senate wins increase the representation of Black women in legislative office, specifically in the upper chamber of Congress.

Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester won her race with 56.6 percent of the votes, making her the first Black woman senator to represent the state of Delaware. This is not the first historic win for Blunt Rochester, whose prior election to the House of Representatives also made her the first Black woman to represent Delaware in Congress. She went on to serve four terms in the House before becoming a senator.

Angela Alsobrooks, who won the Senate seat to represent the state of Maryland with 54.7 percent of the votes, has a history of breaking barriers. She was the first woman to hold the position of county executive of Prince George’s County and the first Black woman elected to the Office in Maryland’s history.

Women face significant obstacles when it comes to accessing elected leadership positions. With the added layer of racism, Black women are confronted with unique hurdles that prevent them from upward political mobility. When Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester were elected to the Senate, only 29 Black women were serving in Congress, and throughout history, only 58 Black women have served in the federal legislative branch, representing a mere 0.4 percent of all members.

Numerous compounding factors contribute to the lack of Black women’s political representation, including historic and systemic racism that manifests in a significant wage gap, educational barriers such as student debt and inaccessibility, lack of paid leave and workplace protections, as well as ongoing restrictions in reproductive health that disproportionately increase maternal mortality and morbidity for Black women.

Black women candidates also have a harder time fundraising for their campaigns, despite having invaluable policy perspectives as officeholders. Research shows that Black women elected officials offer much-needed insight on issues such as health, care, education, and economic development and are more likely to support and sponsor legislation focused on racial and gender equity.

The lack of political representation of women of color in the Senate and statewide elective executive offices leads to limited opportunities for them to hold the traditional credentials for a presidential bid. Particularly in light of Vice President Kamala Harris’s historic 2024 presidential campaign, Black women candidates must be supported throughout the campaign, electoral, and office-holding processes.

For far too long, Black women have been denied the resources they need—and opportunities they deserve—to help shape the policies that impact women and families. The historic wins of Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester as the first two Black women to simultaneously serve in the Senate are cause for celebration. However, these wins also highlight how much more work is needed to increase Black women’s political representation in Congress.