Washington, D.C.— Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester hosted Sen. Laphonza Butler (CA) and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (MD) for a “Black Women Belong…in the Senate” panel discussion moderated by strategist and commentator Angela Rye during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference. 

The conversation highlighted the issues Black women face running for office, how Black women like Sen. Butler have opened doors, and the potential for Blunt Rochester and Alsobrooks to serve in the Senate at the same time.

[County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), Sen. Laphonza Butler (CA), and Strategist and Commentator Angela Rye at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference.]

See below for highlights from the event:

Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester on how it’s more than about making history, it’s about making a difference in people’s lives:

• “We bring [our lived experiences] when we come to these places, and so […] the fact that for the first time, there is a potential to have not just one at a time, but two, is really important. And I think part of that, too, is belonging. When [Angela Alsobrooks] made it through […] her primary, which was a huge, monumental feat, […] I remember texting and calling her my ‘sister-senator to be’. That’s our hope. [Knowing] you’re going to be in a place and belong in a place with someone who has some shared values, expectations, and lived experiences — we even both have children named Alex. She has a daughter. I have a son named Alex. We talked about our faith, and we talked about our experiences and our professional experiences. And so, [having] that support as well [will] be important.
  
  “We are a part of this country. We helped build this country. We deserve to be in these places, in these spaces, and so, for me to be in the presence of these women is truly an honor. And I’m just ready to get the work done. Because what we say is that while we might make history, that’s not why we do this. We’re doing this to make a difference. We’re doing this to have an impact on people’s lives. So, that’s really what it is about to us, and that’s why representation does matter because we’re bringing all of us to the table.”

Sen. Laphonza Butler (CA) on why her appointment to the Senate is so critically important in opening doors for Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks to potentially serve in the Senate:

• “All of us face, in terms of being in the room, [often] being the ‘only,’ whether it’s the only woman or the youngest, or the only queer person, or the main ‘only.’ [Vice President Kamala Harris said] to me, ‘You go in these rooms, and you carry the hopes and the dreams, the aspirations, and the fears of millions. And, so when you’re in the room as the only, you go in there as the voice of millions, and know that we’re going to have your back, whether we’re in the room with you or not.’ And so as I think about this moment and this sort of question of what it means and about what she is doing on behalf of not just Black women, but on behalf of the country, making sure that [Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and County Executive Angela Alsobrooks], as they go into the Senate Chamber, those tower hallways, knowing that maybe they’re the only, but they’re not alone. They are carrying the hopes, dreams, aspirations, the fears of so many of us, and they have to know that we have their back.
  
  “It’s the Stacey Abramses of the world, and the Cheri Beasleys of the world, and the Shirley Chisholms of the world, who ran but did not win, but who made it easier and possible — who paved the pathway for me to be appointed at this moment, for [Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester and Angela Alsobrooks] to be successful in 54 days. We may all do it as the ‘only,’ but none of us do it alone — that’s the challenge of this moment, but most importantly, it is the opportunity that we all have to continue that legacy, to continue to pave those paths across different opportunities of leadership, whether we’re talking about public service, whether we’re talking about the labor movement, corporate leadership, nonprofit leadership, going out and you was doing real work and offering real leadership in the spaces of venture capital and artificial intelligence. This is our moment. This is our time, and there are those who have made it possible for us.”

County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (MD) on the importance of Black women bringing their lived experiences to the Senate and how everyone benefits:

• “I can tell you how proud I am in this moment, […] because I recognize that you can’t represent people you don’t know or understand. So when you ask, why is it important for us to be [in the Senate]? […] It’s because of [our] lived experiences. There are a whole group of people whose lived experiences are not represented in the Senate. And I happen to believe that until and unless every single person of every race, of every gender, and every background sees him or herself in the Senate, our country cannot reach its potential until all of our lived experiences are represented. 
  
  “[It] is not just beneficial to Black women or women that we are in the Senate; it benefits the country for us to be there, and our very presence changes the room. Our very presence changes the room [and] changes the conversation. [Our] mere presence when we walk in […] changes the whole room […] to the benefit of all of those who are in the Senate. Because […], unless and until our perspectives are represented, […] it’s incomplete. We complete the conversation by being present [and] bringing our experiences, and that’s what this is about: making sure that our policies are complete by […] having our experiences there.”

The full event video is available for download and viewing here.