From activists and local leaders to business executives and federal officeholders, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community have been instrumental in affecting political change. These 19th profiles tell the stories of people who may not be known yet, but are poised to become household names.
Jackson is the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, joining days after it ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and weeks after a rare leak of a draft decision.
The interim director of the Office of Environmental Justice in the Department of Health and Human Services joins a growing list of women of color tapped to work on these issues.
The 28-year-old lawyer came close to defeating nine-term incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar in Texas in 2020. This year, Cisneros said she ‘owed it to the folks here to try it one more time.’
Childs, who has strong backing from her state’s lawmakers, is a graduate of public universities and worked in both government and private practice before joining the bench.
The group representing America’s largest city includes a series of firsts. That representation appears to have made a difference in an early but key leadership battle.
Nida Allam, the first Muslim woman elected to public office in the state, has spoken publicly about the realities of trying to become a parent while seeking higher office — and how that impacts her policies.
The city of Las Cruces will soon have women representing all six of its city council district seats. It joins a short list of all-women or nearly all-women governing bodies.
Abrams, who lost to Brian Kemp in 2018, has become a prominent voice on voting rights issues and the disenfranchisement of Black voters.
If confirmed by the Senate, Young will be the first woman of color to formally helm the Office of Management and Budget.