As a woman, it’s exciting to see such a long-overdue moment for women in politics. It’s even more exciting to see female leadership in our state, from the governor’s office to state reps, the Legislature and City Council. More importantly, there’s greater representation now for women of color in these positions. Kamala Harris and Deb Haaland have shown little girls (and grown women) all over the world that women can win and representation matters.
According to the Center for American Women in Politics, of the 141 women serving in the Congress, 34 percent are women of color. New Mexico now ranks fourth in the country for the number of women serving in the State Legislature, at 43 percent. The center’s data shows that, for the past two decades, states have seen an increase in women who are running for office. Factors like public education and public health issues have helped drive those trends.
The proverbial glass ceiling hasn’t broken yet, but there’s a big crack in it. To think that we were only “given” the right to vote 100 years ago, the struggle for equality is starting to pay off. We are coming into our power and have shown that we are ready to take the reins.