In the nearly 232-year history of the US Senate there have only been 11 Black senators
By Faith Karimi, CNN As we begin the 2021 Celebration of Black History Month, Congress set a new diversity record this year with its highest-ever number of women and racial minorities, including 60 Black lawmakers. But that’s mostly in the House. People of color have historically had a tougher time getting elected to the Senate. Newly elected Raphael Warnock is only the 11th Black US senator since the Senate convened for the first time in 1789. Only two of those have been women. And with the departure of Kamala Harris, the number of Black female US senators is now at
New Atlanta mural marks VP Kamala Harris’ historic day
By Ciara Cummings ‘Dream big’ is the tiny sentence stamped on the mural which shows the progression of the Vice President from toddler, to college student, to present day political powerhouse. Each shade on the wall at Cascade and Beecher Road was painted with intention. But, it’s not about the colors for Ashley Dopson. “This ain’t even a black or white thing, this ain’t left or right, this ain’t a red or blue thing.” The muralist says she does not have a way with words but she does with art, so she picked up a brush to write this story,
Biden’s pick for UN ambassador to call for re-engagement with UN to counter Chinese influence
By Jennifer Hansler and Devan Cole, CNN President Joe Biden’s nominee for US ambassador to the United Nations plans to voice her support for the country’s re-engagement in the multilateral institution in order to counter Chinese influence during a Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, according to excerpts of her testimony obtained by CNN. “When America shows up — when we are consistent and persistent — when we exert our influence in accordance with our values — the United Nations can be an indispensable institution for advancing peace, security, and our collective well-being,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield plans to tell the Senate Foreign
This picture is worth a thousand words
For many parents, the swearing-in of Kamala Harris was an inspirational teaching moment for their kids By Kelsie Smith, CNN The moment Kamala Harris took her oath of office on Wednesday to become the first female, first Black and first South Asian vice president was an inspirational teaching moment for parents and kids across the country. Harris stood proudly on the steps of the US Capitol as she was sworn in by Sonia Sotomayor, the country’s first Latina Supreme Court justice. The groundbreaking event was celebrated by many families, who shared photos of their daughters and sons witnessing history on
An inauguration like no other: Notable moments of a momentous day
By Devan Cole and Paul LeBlanc, CNN President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday looked a bit different from past ceremonies ushering in a new administration. The day’s historic events navigated heightened security measures in Washington, DC, Covid-19 precautions and the absence of the outgoing President, the first time that’s happened in more than a century and a half. Still, the unprecedented day closed with fireworks and messages of unity and hope. Here are the highlights from the inauguration of America’s 46th president: Trump leaves the White House Though former President Donald Trump did not attend Biden’s swearing-in ceremony,
Youth poet laureate crafting ‘message of joining together’ for inauguration
By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN Amanda Gorman was about halfway through writing the poem that she’ll deliver at President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week when she watched in horror the deadly siege on the US Capitol. Typically, it takes the nation’s first-ever youth poet laureate days to craft a new poem. She finished this one immediately. “It was like someone pressed the on-switch in my brain,” Gorman told CNN Friday. “I finished the rest at home that night.” Come Wednesday, Gorman will participate in a ceremony whose theme has long been billed as a call to national unity — a plea
Kamala Harris becomes Vice President of the United States
Kamala D. Harris has taken the oath of office to become vice president of the United States, becoming the first woman and the first woman of color to hold the office.
Civil rights leaders hope Biden can heal the nation through action
By Nicquel Terry Ellis, CNN When President-elect Joe Biden delivers his inauguration speech Wednesday, civil rights leaders are hoping for more than just promises, but a plan of action for racial healing. Biden will be entering the presidency at a time when the nation is divided after White rioters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6 in their refusal to accept President Donald Trump’s loss, and Black Lives Matter protests last summer sparked a national reckoning on racism. The frustrations on both sides of this political divide have been exacerbated by a Covid-19 pandemic that has killed people of color
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will swear in three new Democratic senators
By Alex Rogers, CNN Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is expected to swear in three new, barrier-breaking Democratic senators on Wednesday afternoon after her own inauguration, officially giving Democrats control of the Senate for the first time since they lost the chamber in the 2014 elections. Earlier this month, Georgia elected two Democrats — the Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff — to the US Senate, flipping the chamber. Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, and Ossoff will be joined on Wednesday by Harris’ successor, Alex Padilla, the former California secretary of state appointed to the Senate