In 2018, four women all of color and under the age of 50 were elected to the United States House of Representatives: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (also known as AOC) of New York, Ilan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. They became informally known as “The Squad.”

This year, they have all been re-elected to the House, indicating their states are very happy with their representatives. These women are looked up to as breaking doors down and setting the bar for women of color in the future who would desire a similar career. 

These representatives are almost idolized by the younger generation, especially Congresswoman AOC, who is from the Bronx, New York. She had just turned 30 in October and is among the first female members of the Democratic Socialists of America elected to serve in Congress. She advocates a progressive platform that includes Medicare for All, a federal job guarantee, the green new deal and abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement. 

Congresswoman Ilan Omar is of American and Somali descent and a member of the Democartic Farmer-Labor party. As a legislator, she is committed to fighting for the shared values that put people at the center of democracy. She focuses on tackling many of the issues that she hears about most from her constituents, like investing in education, and freeing students from the shackles of debt. She also pushes to resist attempts to divide us and push destructive policies that chip away at our rights and freedoms. 

Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley is a policy maker, an activist, and a survivor. Congresswoman Pressley has been through many complications and hard times throughout her life, and it’s because of those experiences that she remains dedicated and motivated to conquer, and stay devoted and informed on policies. She has broken barriers by being the first woman of color in Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The last but not least of the squad is Congress women Rashida Tlaib, the first muslim women to ever serve in the Michigan legislation. She works hard non-stop to knock down barriers for change, whether by policy or an action. 

These congresswomen have been re-elected and continue to push down barriers and are a complete inspiration for all little girls of different communities. This is greatly a positive change in history and change in the peoples communities and allows us to have hope in the future.