Alsobrooks looks ahead to possibility of historic three Black women serving together in U.S. Senate

The Maryland senator says Black women are making historic political gains despite economic headwinds and what she calls “direct attacks.”

There are many races to watch in November’s midterm elections. Many of them include Black female candidates on the ballot who stand to make history, even as Black women nationally face economic headwinds, as well as political and racist attacks.

“I think we should be encouraged because we know that Black women are resilient,” says U.S. Senator Angela Alsobrooks, who herself made history in the 2024 election when she was elected the first Black U.S. Senator from Maryland, and joins Delaware U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester as two Black women serving in the U.S. Senate consecutively, for the first time in U.S. history.

Come November, Alsobrooks and Blunt Rochester could make history yet again with a third Black female U.S. Senator: Juliana Stratton, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Illinois.

“There will be three of us, the first time in history that we’ve had this number [and] we have more Black women than ever serving in the Congress,” Alsobrooks told theGrio.

The Maryland U.S. Senator, who has been traveling across the country to campaign for Democrats in major key races, says she welcomes the prospect of Stratton joining her and Blunt Rochester, but also other Black women who are positioned to be elected governors this November: Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and Stacey Plaskett in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“I campaigned for each of them. I’ve been to Georgia. I also campaigned for Stacey Plaskett and helped her to raise money,” shared Alsobrooks.

Acknowledging the more than 300,000 Black women who have lost their jobs since President Donald Trump returned to office and enacted DEI and education rollbacks and historic cuts to the federal workforce, Alsobrooks told theGrio that her “resolve has been deepened” by the “direct attacks on Black women.”

“This particular administration, I think, appointed one Black woman out of all of the cabinet officials that were nominated and confirmed,” she said, referring to CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz, adding, “We understand what they feel about us.”

The contrast between the negative headwinds facing Black women nationally and the positive gains they could see in representation is not lost on Alsobrooks. Despite the barriers facing Black women, she told theGrio, “[Black women] are not only talented, they are not only patriotic, but they are also resilient, and that resiliency resulted in my election to the Senate.”

Senator Alsobrooks said that, ultimately, Black women voters and the issues they care about are no different than any other American.

“Black women don’t have a vision that is outside of what most people want for their families. We want true and growing economic opportunity. We want health care for our family members who are sick. We want to educate our kids in the best settings possible,” she said. “We’re going to support each other. We’re also going to align with people who share our values and who have a vision for America that is congruent with our vision for America.”

Many Black women are heads of their households, raising children and caring for their elderly parents—also known as the sandwich generation.

Alsobrooks called it a “unique kind of positioning,” adding that Black women are “contributing patriotically” and “one of the most patriotic blocks of people in the country.”

When asked about the leadership of Black women, the U.S. senator said that not only do Black women “show up and vote in large numbers,” but they are “great messengers.”

She added, “We ought to all come together and recognize we’re each other’s neighbors, no matter your race, your gender, your background.”