After Donald Trump’s defeat, there are many things to celebrate and cherish. One of these things is story of two men who made a remarkable history.
These men became the first two openly Black men to be elected to Congress. And if you are wondering why that could be a big deal, we’ll find that out in the article below.
Torres will provide affordable housing to the people
Ritchie Torres, an Afro-Latino Democratic congressional candidate from New York, made history on election night when he was elected as the first openly gay Black man in Congress.
He defeated Republican candidate Patrick Delices, and he’ll be representing South Bronx in the House.
“We are going to have a United States Congress that is every bit as diverse and dynamic as America itself.”
During an interview on CBSN Wednesday, Torres said that is primary goal is to provide people with affordable housing.
“For me, affordable housing is not simply brick and mortar, it is the foundation of which you build a better life for yourself and your family. And more than half of the residence in South Bronx pay more than half their income toward rent, and especially during COVID-19, families are on the verge of eviction and displacement.”
Mondaire Jones, who grew up in poverty and struggle
On the other hand, Mondaire Jones also won the election and joined Torres in the record of being the first two openly gay black men in Congress.
“It is a lot of responsibility,” Jones had said in an interview, adding that seeing someone like him in Congress while having grown up poor, Black and gay would have “materially improved” his life. “It would have been direct evidence of the fact that things really do get better,” he said.
Jones is a Stanford University and Harvard Law graduate and served in the Justice Department under the Obama administration.
He was raised in New York by a single mother with the help of grandparents.
So something good came out of this election even if it wasn’t Bernie Sanders
So while this reelection might have succeeded in electing Joe Biden who is just a lite Republican masquerading as a Democrat – the election has actually helped people from marginalized communities in claiming space in the public sphere.
As Torres himself said in an interview:
“Sixty percent of the Democratic conference in the House of Representatives is women, people of color, and LGBTQ. I am proud that am going to contribute to the diversity of the world’s greatest legislature, the United States Congress.”
Featured Image Courtesy: CNBC