it does feel the same that’s what Jacob
Philadelphia said when he first touched
President Obama’s hair in that moment
Jacob realized that the most powerful
man on earth was black just like him and
now no matter what the world tells them
black kids all over the world will
forever believe that they too can become
president of the United States because
of someone who looks like them has
already done it they know for a fact
that they can do it too
former White House photographer Pete
Souza immortalized this moment in this
picture it inspired millions of people
all over the world especially young
people of color
that’s what belonging feels like to me
belonging is knowing that you have a
place in your society especially when
you see people who look like you in
positions of power but I have not always
felt like this recently I felt yet again
what it is like to not belong in a
society a country and a world that I
have every right to belong in this past
summer I interned for the United States
Congress I had the amazing opportunity
to be around people who are just as
passionate about social change as I was
I spent the first day getting to know
people in my surroundings and on my
second day I went to the ID office to
get my picture taken for my official
intern badge because I stood in the very
long line and waited to get my picture
taken I looked around and noticed
something there were only two people of
color in the entire line and I was one
of them I also noticed that I was the
only black woman in the entire line and
I began to get this uncomfortable but
familiar feeling it’s that feeling that
I always got when I was
a space where no one looks like me here
I was interning with people who have
political ambitions and wanted to help
change the world just like I did here I
was looking the part wearing a blazer a
dress shirt and dress pants just like
they were here I was waiting to receive
an intern badge that would tell me that
I belonged here in Congress but I did
not feel like I belong I couldn’t help
but think that this feeling of not
belonging was tied to something much
more complex than me being the only
black girl online we were all interning
for Congress we were all here because we
were aspiring politicians we were the
future leaders of America
but if this ID line is reflective of our
country’s future leadership then what
does that tell you it tells you who will
get you see at the table and who won’t
it tells you who will be making the
important decisions it tells you whose
voices will be heard I was annoyed but I
looked down at my ID badge and reminded
myself that my presence here in Congress
as a black woman meant something it
meant everything and so with that I
clipped the badge wasted my pants and
went back to my office after that day I
began to notice how often I felt like I
did not belong I was especially aware of
this field a congressional intern
lectures one day Democratic Leader Nancy
Pelosi came to speak to all the interns
I was excited so I arrived early and
took a seat in the third row of
auditorium the entire room was crowded
within minutes as I looked around I
noticed that a sea of white there were
very few brown faces when Nancy Pelosi
walked onto this stage I clapped along
with everyone else
I listened as she gave her speech after
she spoke we got to ask some questions
one person was bold enough to ask a
question about the 2016 presidential
election but for the most part
the interns ask questions about policies
so I was surprised when a few interns
asked questions about race at one point
Nancy Pelosi talked about black woman’s
voter turnout as she spoke she looked in
my direction and in that moment I
remembered that Iowa’s one of the very
few black women in the entire auditorium
and all I could think was here we are in
Congress talking about black woman but
where are they why am i one of the very
few brown faces in this entire
auditorium does anyone else not see this
as a problem after that lecture I was
cynical why should people of color
participate in politics only to show up
to Congress like I did and see that no
one looks like us but here’s the great
thing about life whenever you’re cynical
or down the dumps something or someone
comes around to inspire you again and
for me that’s someone with civil rights
activists and Congressman John Lewis one
day I met John Lewis in the hallway I
walked up to him and introduced myself
we shook hands I thanked him for his
activism and when he invited me to stop
by his office of course I said yes
when I walked into John Lewis’s office I
looked around there was something
different about his office and the way
it looked after a few minutes I finally
understood what it was that made John
Lewis’s office stand out from the rest
his entire staff was diverse even quiet
if he was interns or people of color and
in that moment I felt just like Jacob
felt in the Oval Office I felt like I
belonged congressman Lewis and I talked
about why it is so important that people
of color elected into office I told him
that sometimes people of color including
me find it so hard to be optimistic
remember when congressman that was
looking me straight in the eye it
reminded me that I needed to get
involved in politics because if I did
not participate politicians could do
anything and say anything and I would
have no say and that’s when I realized
that it’s not just about people of color
being elected into office
it’s about people of color having the
power to create policies especially
policies that affect our own communities
because here’s the thing racial
representation is not the be-all and
end-all fertile longing just because
this country decides to let a few Asian
senators or a few Native American mayors
does not mean that we automatically have
equity and justice America needs to do
more than elect people of color America
needs to listen to people of color
because unfortunately when people of
color sitting at the table they’re ready
to discuss policies our voices are
rarely heard according to a 2015 study
by Professor Nicolas Stephanopoulos at
the new Chicago Law School black
politicians have a harder time and asked
in their policies especially policies
that reflect the interests of the black
community for example if a black
politician introduces a federal policy
that has no white support and this
policy has a 10% chance of being passed
into law but if a black politician
introduces a federal policy that is
universal white support then this policy
has a 60 percent chance of being passed
into law so what’s the problem
one might say the problem is racism and
the problem is racism but let’s look at
the byproduct of racism the problem is
access it’s about the fact that people
of color have to rely on people who have
access in order to get the majority of
their legislation passed and throughout
history and even to this very day
the people who have had access
and continue to have access our white
people and the numbers don’t lie
81% of Congress is white eighty-one
percent meanwhile people of color only
make up 19% of our current Congress and
so this leads us to some very crucial
questions what would it look like to
live in a world where everyone has
access what would it look like to live
in a world where politicians of color
can successfully advocate for their
policy preferences without always having
to succumb to policy preferences of
white politicians what would it look
like to live in a world where our
Congress is reflective of our country’s
diversity the good news is that all of
this is possible how this leads us back
to the importance of racial
representation in order for everyone to
have access people of color must be
elected into office and when that
happens when people of color elected
into office and are sitting at the table
and are ready to discuss policies our
voices will be heard because here’s the
thing we could not choose to just elect
people of color and then decide not to
listen to them we could not choose to
just listen to people of color but they
decide not to elect them we must elect
and listen and must do both of these
things all of the time this is not
justified at Congress this applies to
every aspect of life if you are
wondering how you can possibly help
increase racial representation and
create a true sense of belonging for
everyone just think about the kind of
platform that you have if you are a
recruiter for a modeling agency recruit
more models of color and make sure that
everyone in the modelling agency has
different races and ethnicities are you
a CEO hire more people of color but
don’t just do it for your company’s
diversity stats truly listen to our
opinions at corporate meetings
build a company culture that involves us
in decision-making processes students
elect qualified students of color to
your student government because we do
exist if you are a professor choose
literature that has racial
representation for people of color this
means that you must stop always
centering white authors and protagonists
because they are not the only authors
and protagonists that exist and if you
are white understand that you benefit
from racism greatly all at the expense
of people color so use your current
position in society to help dismantle
systems of oppression and when we
dismantle a system that thrives on the
exclusion and marginalization of people
of color and build a just and fair
system in its place then there will be a
true sense of belonging for everyone one
day when I’m an elected official I will
take a seat at the table I will advocate
for policies that I care deeply about
such as education climate change racial
equity and ending mass incarceration
depending on my position in government I
will either spend parts of my day voting
a legislation or signing bills into law
but no matter what I am doing I will
always return to my office to meet with
my constituents I especially want young
people to come visit me and share their
ideas for change when that happens I
want to be the person who will bend down
and let a little girl touch my hair so
that she can say yes it does feel the same
Philadelphia said when he first touched
President Obama’s hair in that moment
Jacob realized that the most powerful
man on earth was black just like him and
now no matter what the world tells them
black kids all over the world will
forever believe that they too can become
president of the United States because
of someone who looks like them has
already done it they know for a fact
that they can do it too
former White House photographer Pete
Souza immortalized this moment in this
picture it inspired millions of people
all over the world especially young
people of color
that’s what belonging feels like to me
belonging is knowing that you have a
place in your society especially when
you see people who look like you in
positions of power but I have not always
felt like this recently I felt yet again
what it is like to not belong in a
society a country and a world that I
have every right to belong in this past
summer I interned for the United States
Congress I had the amazing opportunity
to be around people who are just as
passionate about social change as I was
I spent the first day getting to know
people in my surroundings and on my
second day I went to the ID office to
get my picture taken for my official
intern badge because I stood in the very
long line and waited to get my picture
taken I looked around and noticed
something there were only two people of
color in the entire line and I was one
of them I also noticed that I was the
only black woman in the entire line and
I began to get this uncomfortable but
familiar feeling it’s that feeling that
I always got when I was
a space where no one looks like me here
I was interning with people who have
political ambitions and wanted to help
change the world just like I did here I
was looking the part wearing a blazer a
dress shirt and dress pants just like
they were here I was waiting to receive
an intern badge that would tell me that
I belonged here in Congress but I did
not feel like I belong I couldn’t help
but think that this feeling of not
belonging was tied to something much
more complex than me being the only
black girl online we were all interning
for Congress we were all here because we
were aspiring politicians we were the
future leaders of America
but if this ID line is reflective of our
country’s future leadership then what
does that tell you it tells you who will
get you see at the table and who won’t
it tells you who will be making the
important decisions it tells you whose
voices will be heard I was annoyed but I
looked down at my ID badge and reminded
myself that my presence here in Congress
as a black woman meant something it
meant everything and so with that I
clipped the badge wasted my pants and
went back to my office after that day I
began to notice how often I felt like I
did not belong I was especially aware of
this field a congressional intern
lectures one day Democratic Leader Nancy
Pelosi came to speak to all the interns
I was excited so I arrived early and
took a seat in the third row of
auditorium the entire room was crowded
within minutes as I looked around I
noticed that a sea of white there were
very few brown faces when Nancy Pelosi
walked onto this stage I clapped along
with everyone else
I listened as she gave her speech after
she spoke we got to ask some questions
one person was bold enough to ask a
question about the 2016 presidential
election but for the most part
the interns ask questions about policies
so I was surprised when a few interns
asked questions about race at one point
Nancy Pelosi talked about black woman’s
voter turnout as she spoke she looked in
my direction and in that moment I
remembered that Iowa’s one of the very
few black women in the entire auditorium
and all I could think was here we are in
Congress talking about black woman but
where are they why am i one of the very
few brown faces in this entire
auditorium does anyone else not see this
as a problem after that lecture I was
cynical why should people of color
participate in politics only to show up
to Congress like I did and see that no
one looks like us but here’s the great
thing about life whenever you’re cynical
or down the dumps something or someone
comes around to inspire you again and
for me that’s someone with civil rights
activists and Congressman John Lewis one
day I met John Lewis in the hallway I
walked up to him and introduced myself
we shook hands I thanked him for his
activism and when he invited me to stop
by his office of course I said yes
when I walked into John Lewis’s office I
looked around there was something
different about his office and the way
it looked after a few minutes I finally
understood what it was that made John
Lewis’s office stand out from the rest
his entire staff was diverse even quiet
if he was interns or people of color and
in that moment I felt just like Jacob
felt in the Oval Office I felt like I
belonged congressman Lewis and I talked
about why it is so important that people
of color elected into office I told him
that sometimes people of color including
me find it so hard to be optimistic
remember when congressman that was
looking me straight in the eye it
reminded me that I needed to get
involved in politics because if I did
not participate politicians could do
anything and say anything and I would
have no say and that’s when I realized
that it’s not just about people of color
being elected into office
it’s about people of color having the
power to create policies especially
policies that affect our own communities
because here’s the thing racial
representation is not the be-all and
end-all fertile longing just because
this country decides to let a few Asian
senators or a few Native American mayors
does not mean that we automatically have
equity and justice America needs to do
more than elect people of color America
needs to listen to people of color
because unfortunately when people of
color sitting at the table they’re ready
to discuss policies our voices are
rarely heard according to a 2015 study
by Professor Nicolas Stephanopoulos at
the new Chicago Law School black
politicians have a harder time and asked
in their policies especially policies
that reflect the interests of the black
community for example if a black
politician introduces a federal policy
that has no white support and this
policy has a 10% chance of being passed
into law but if a black politician
introduces a federal policy that is
universal white support then this policy
has a 60 percent chance of being passed
into law so what’s the problem
one might say the problem is racism and
the problem is racism but let’s look at
the byproduct of racism the problem is
access it’s about the fact that people
of color have to rely on people who have
access in order to get the majority of
their legislation passed and throughout
history and even to this very day
the people who have had access
and continue to have access our white
people and the numbers don’t lie
81% of Congress is white eighty-one
percent meanwhile people of color only
make up 19% of our current Congress and
so this leads us to some very crucial
questions what would it look like to
live in a world where everyone has
access what would it look like to live
in a world where politicians of color
can successfully advocate for their
policy preferences without always having
to succumb to policy preferences of
white politicians what would it look
like to live in a world where our
Congress is reflective of our country’s
diversity the good news is that all of
this is possible how this leads us back
to the importance of racial
representation in order for everyone to
have access people of color must be
elected into office and when that
happens when people of color elected
into office and are sitting at the table
and are ready to discuss policies our
voices will be heard because here’s the
thing we could not choose to just elect
people of color and then decide not to
listen to them we could not choose to
just listen to people of color but they
decide not to elect them we must elect
and listen and must do both of these
things all of the time this is not
justified at Congress this applies to
every aspect of life if you are
wondering how you can possibly help
increase racial representation and
create a true sense of belonging for
everyone just think about the kind of
platform that you have if you are a
recruiter for a modeling agency recruit
more models of color and make sure that
everyone in the modelling agency has
different races and ethnicities are you
a CEO hire more people of color but
don’t just do it for your company’s
diversity stats truly listen to our
opinions at corporate meetings
build a company culture that involves us
in decision-making processes students
elect qualified students of color to
your student government because we do
exist if you are a professor choose
literature that has racial
representation for people of color this
means that you must stop always
centering white authors and protagonists
because they are not the only authors
and protagonists that exist and if you
are white understand that you benefit
from racism greatly all at the expense
of people color so use your current
position in society to help dismantle
systems of oppression and when we
dismantle a system that thrives on the
exclusion and marginalization of people
of color and build a just and fair
system in its place then there will be a
true sense of belonging for everyone one
day when I’m an elected official I will
take a seat at the table I will advocate
for policies that I care deeply about
such as education climate change racial
equity and ending mass incarceration
depending on my position in government I
will either spend parts of my day voting
a legislation or signing bills into law
but no matter what I am doing I will
always return to my office to meet with
my constituents I especially want young
people to come visit me and share their
ideas for change when that happens I
want to be the person who will bend down
and let a little girl touch my hair so
that she can say yes it does feel the same
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