The number of Black Congresspeople has tripled since the 1980s
There are 66 Black members of the current Congress, equaling 12% of the legislative body.
Congress is a ways away from 1870, when Rep. Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi became the first Black person to serve in either chamber. Revels filled an empty Senate seat and only served a year. It was decades until Black representation started to grow.
Today, about 12% of Congressmembers are Black, more than three times what it was 40 years ago — but less than the general US population.
Here's the current state of Black Americans in Congress and a look at how we got here.
Black people make up a smaller share of Congress than of the US population.
Sixty-six Black Congressmembers (12.2% of total membership) are serving in the 119th Congress — four more than at the beginning of the 118th. Of those members, 61 serve in the House, including two Delegates (people representing a United States territory), and five serve in the Senate. Twenty-nine of those House members and two Senators are Black women.
The share of Black Americans in Congress is lower than the share of Black Americans in the US: 12.2% of Congressmembers are Black, compared to 15.4% of the US population. Sixty years ago, there were six Black members in Congress, all serving in the House. Forty years ago, 21 Black members served in the House, and none served in the Senate.
Historically, the vast majority of Black Congresspeople have been members of the Democratic party. This is true today, too, as 61 of the 66 sitting members (92.4%) are registered Democrats. Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of the House Democrats, is the first Black leader of a major political party in Congress.
Milestones for Black Americans in Congress
Rep. Joseph Rainey of South Carolina served for a decade in Congress starting in 1870. His tenure made history: He was the first Black person to serve in the House, and he was one of three Black congressional members who served in the 41st Congress (along with Revels and Jefferson F. Long).
But Black representation in Congress declined after Reconstruction due to violence against and intimidation of Black voters, gerrymandering, and other forms of discrimination.
It wasn't until the mid-20th century that Black representation in Congress grew, due in part to the civil rights movement and the 1965 passage of the Voting Rights Act.
Rep. Shirley Chisholm of New York was one of the most significant figures during this period, becoming the first Black woman elected to Congress in 1968. She was a trailblazer for women and people of color in politics, serving seven terms in the House of Representatives.
A movement for a unified organization of Black legislators was born in the 1950s, according to the US House of Representatives archive.
In the early 1950s, Reps. William Dawson of Illinois and Adam Clayton Powell of New York were the only Black members of Congress until Rep. Charles C. Diggs Jr. of Michigan entered the House of Representatives in 1955. The three formed the largest delegation of Black congressmembers since Reconstruction.
Rep. Diggs initiated the creation of the Democratic Select Committee (DSC) in 1969, which changed its name to the Congressional Black Caucus two years later. According to the Caucus, it’s committed to a policy agenda that promotes the well-being of Black Americans and other marginalized communities. Their stated goals include reforming the criminal justice system, combatting voter suppression, and expanding access to high-quality education.
Black representation varies across different sectors of the government. While Congress has a lower share of Black Americans than the general population, the percent of Black Americans working for the federal government (18.3%) is higher than that share. In the military, Black service members make up 19.1% of the Navy, but just 8.7% of the Space Force.
Where does this data come from?
The Congressional Research Service publishes a profile on the demographics of Congress, updating at the beginning of each Congressional session and periodically throughout.
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