In 2020, we saw history being made when Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first Black person, and the first South Asian person on a major-party general election presidential ballot, as well as the first woman, the first Black person, and the first South Asian person to win the vice presidency. 

On February 25, 2022, President Biden announced he was nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the Supreme Court seat left open by the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer. The U.S. Senate voted to confirm her on April 7, 2022. Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, the first federal public defender to sit on the court and the first justice since Thurgood Marshall to represent criminal defendants.

Secretary Marcia L. Fudge is the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Throughout her career, Secretary Fudge has worked to help low-income families, seniors, and communities across the country. Secretary Fudge served as U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio from 2008 to 2021. She was a member of several Congressional Caucuses and past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was nominated by President Biden to be the Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations as well as the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is a career diplomat and returned to public service after retiring from a 35-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service in 2017.

Ambassador Susan E. Rice is the Domestic Policy Advisor in the Biden Administration. As Director of the Domestic Policy Council, she drives the formulation and implementation of President Biden’s domestic policy agenda, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care and immigration. She previously served as President Obama’s U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and National Security Advisor from 2009-2017.

Cecilia Elena Rouse is the 30th Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, making her the first Black leader of C.E.A. in its 75-year history. In this role, she serves as President Biden’s Chief Economist and a Member of the Cabinet. She is the Katzman-Ernst Professor in the Economics of Education and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University.

In March, the U.S. Senate confirmed Shalanda Young to serve as the director of the Office of Management and Budget, making her the first Black woman in history to be confirmed to head the key office, which oversees the execution of the government’s budget.

Michigan State University economist and professor Lisa D. Cook today was confirmed in May to the Federal Reserve System. Cook is the first Black woman to serve on the board in its 108-year history. The Federal Reserve System consists of the Federal Reserve Bank, which is the central bank of the United States, and 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, which oversees the nation’s monetary policy with the purpose of maintaining stability in the nation’s financial system.

Commissioner Clarke is the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice. In this role, she leads the Justice Department’s broad federal civil rights enforcement efforts and works to uphold the civil and constitutional rights of all who live in America. Assistant Attorney General Clarke is a lifelong civil rights lawyer who has spent her entire career in public service.

Appointed in May, White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre is now the go-to voice of the Biden administration. Jean-Pierre is the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to serve as Press Secretary since the position was first created 93 years ago.

Keisha Lance Bottoms serves as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement. In this role, Bottoms oversees the White House Office of Public Engagement, which works at the local, state, and national levels to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices have the opportunity to inform the work of the President in an inclusive, transparent and responsible way. Prior to this role, Bottoms was the 60th Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia.

The Congressional Black Caucus marked is being led by phenomenal women, including CBC Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty and CBCF President & CEO, Nicole Austin-Hillery and are getting the CBC in gear for another exemplary year. There are currently 27 Black women serving in Congress. The women members of the CBC have been vocal about pertinent issues affecting Black women, from healthcare to voting rights. They have been on the frontlines protesting and risking their lives, all while making sure Black women have a seat at the table.

This year we say goodbye to bold leadership by these Black women in the Congressional Black Caucus. We wish the best to best to Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30), Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), Rep. Val Demings (FL-10) and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (MI-14). We thank you for your years of service.

Congresswomen Alma Adams (NC-12) and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) launched the Black Maternal Health Caucus to address one of the most urgent crises in the United States today. They have been at the forefront of the Black maternal health crisis, including the passage of the “Protecting Moms Who Served Act”, one of twelve bills from their Black Maternal Health Momnibus package that President Joe Biden signed that will address maternal mortality among women veterans.

Congresswoman Joyce Beatty was elected to serve as the 27th Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. As chair, she is leading the CBC’s historic 58 members during the 117th Congress. Congresswoman Beatty is a native Ohioan with a strong history of connecting people, policy and politics to make a difference. Since 2013, Beatty has proudly represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District.

A decisive victory on November 8th, swept progressive Democrat Summer Lee into history, with her victory in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District making her the first Black woman to represent the state in the U.S. House. At age 35, the two-term state House member, lawyer and former labor organizer is expected to be a prominent figure in the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Lee was elected to Pennsylvania’s State House in 2018.

Valerie Foushee won big in her election for the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. David Price. Foushee has served in both the North Carolina state House and the state Senate. She has focused on championing underrepresented communities in each of those elected positions.

Sydney Kamlager was elected this November to replace the outgoing Rep. Karen Bass. Sydney currently represents District 30 in the California state Senate and is the only Black woman Senator representing California.  Prior to being elected to the California Senate, Kamlager served in the California State Assembly and as a trustee for the Los Angeles Community College District. 

On Election Night, Ohio State Representative, Emilia Sykes made history as the first Black woman and person elected to represent the district to win the Ohio-13th Congressional District. With a strong sense of responsibility for the well-being of those she serves, Sykes has tackled the challenges of her district with unmatched passion and dedication and had been in leadership for four years, holding the positions of Assistant Whip, Minority Whip and Minority Leader.

Jasmine Crockett won the open seat for Texas’ 30th Congressional District and will officially carry the torch handed down by retiring Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson. At the start of her campaign, she told her constituents that she wanted to continue the work her predecessor did for the past 50 years. As a 41-year-old civil rights attorney turned legislator, Crockett has become a rising star in North Texas politics who will now represent a large swath of Dallas County in Washington.

Letitia “Tish” James is the 67th Attorney General for the State of New York. With decades of work, she is an experienced attorney and public servant with a long record of accomplishments. She is the first woman of color to hold statewide office in New York and the first woman to be elected Attorney General. As Attorney General of New York, James has fought corruption and sought justice across many areas.

On January 29, 2021, Shirley Nash Weber, Ph.D. became California’s first Black Secretary of State and only the fifth African American to serve as a state constitutional officer in California’s 170-year history. Weber was appointed to serve by California’s Governor Gavin Newsom to succeed Alexis Padilia after his appointment to serve as California’s junior senator.

Sabina Matos was appointed as the 70th Lieutenant Governor of the State of Rhode Island on April 14, 2021. She is the second woman to hold this post and the first woman of color. Additionally, she is the first Afro-Latina, Dominican American to hold the position of Lieutenant Governor in the United States.

In Connecticut, voters secured the state’s first Black Secretary of State this cycle in Stephanie Thomas. After years of working with nonprofit organizations, Thomas focused her campaign on combating voter suppression and false claims of voter fraud. As Secretary of State, Thomas will center her commitment on expanding voter accessibility, including support for the ballot referendum that would allow early in-person voting.

On November 8th, Andrea Campbell won her election and made history by becoming the state’s first Black woman Attorney General. Campbell served on the Boston city council from 2016 to 2022, also serving two years as council president.

Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton serves Illinois as the state’s 48th Lieutenant Governor. Stratton’s entire career has focused on bringing people together, building consensus, and solving problems.

Sheila Oliver is the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. In addition to her role as Lieutenant Governor, Oliver serves as commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs and previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly as the Assembly speaker, deputy speaker pro tempore, and as assistant majority leader.

Black women are leading in the Maryland State Legislature. Adrienne Jones is the first woman and the first Black woman lead Maryland’s House of Delegates. Maryland Senate President Pro Tem Melony Griffith is leading in the state Senate. And Sheree Sample Hughes holds a top rank in the Maryland House of Delegates leadership, serving as Speaker Pro Tem.

Alabama State Representative Juandalynn Givan represents District 60 in the Alabama State House and is the National President of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL). Respected by both sides of the political aisle, Givan works to improve the quality of life for all citizens fighting for civil justice and equality for all.

History was made this November in Augusta, ME as state House Democrats nominated Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross, (D-40), to serve as the next Speaker of the House. Talbot Ross is poised to become the first Black woman to serve in this role in Maine. “I am not the only one making history. We are all making history. I’m proud of my state, I’m proud of my colleagues, and I cannot wait to get out there and get to work,” Talbot Ross said.

Florida State Rep. Fentrice Driskell, (D-67), has made history as the first Black woman to lead a party in the Florida House. Driskell was elected leader-designate at a special legislative session in May and won re-election in November. The Tampa attorney was first elected back in 2018 and is currently serving her third term in the state House. Driskell joins another barrier-breaking Tampa-Bay lawmaker, former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner, who was the first Black woman elected to lead a party in the Florida Senate. She served as minority leader from 2014-16.

State Rep. Joanna McClinton (D-191) is the presumptive speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. At age 40, the former public defender was first elected in 2015 and became the Democrats’ floor leader two years ago, making history as the highest-ranking woman to serve in the General Assembly’s 244 years.

In 2021, Black women mayors lead seven of the 100 cities with the largest populations in the United States, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim Janey in Boston; Keisha Lance Bottoms in Atlanta; Muriel Bowser in Washington; London Breed in San Francisco; LaToya Cantrell in New Orleans; Lori Lightfoot in Chicago; and Vi Lyles in Charlotte, N.C., Tishaura Jones, St. Louis, were thrust in the spotlight when their cities we dealt devasting blows by COVID and the issues that arose during the pandemic. The mayors handled their roles with grace and dignity and served their constituents during their most enduring times of need.

During his first year as president, Joe Biden was responsible for nominating three of the 11 Black women ever confirmed as federal appeals court judges. Those judges include Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge Candace Jackson-Akiwumi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, and Cunningham. In addition, Cunningham, a 45-year-old patent attorney from Illinois, will be the first-ever Black judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which handles patent cases.

Karen Bass, a veteran Congresswoman and has become the first woman elected as Mayor of Los Angeles after pledging to build coalitions in a city torn by racial tensions and fed up with homelessness. Bass has served six terms in Congress representing California’s 37th congressional district, and also served as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was on then-President-elect Joe Biden’s shortlist for vice president.

Las Vegas Councilwoman Pamela Goynes-Brown will become the first Black Mayor in Nevada’s history. She was first elected to the council in 2011 after serving for decades as an educator. When first elected, Goynes-Brown also made history as the first Black woman elected to her council position and helped steer the city from a financial crisis that nearly led to a state takeover. She says as Mayor. North Las Vegas will be a “fiscal champion”.