Cory Booker’s Win A Win For Diversity

President Barack Obama is the most famous former U.S. Senator of color in American history. The esteemed career of Obama, which climaxed with his election (and then re-election) as the 44th President of the United States, is a monumental achievement for minorities in this country. Another big moment came on October 17 of this year, when New Jersey voters elected Newark Mayor Cory Booker as their next U.S. Senator. Booker became only the second African-American currently in the Senate and the only to have been elected. Tim Scott of South Carolina is the other African-American in the Senate, but he was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to replace Jim DeMint. Ian Millhiser makes a great point in his recent article about Booker’s win, when he distinguishes between elected African-Americans and ones who have joined the U.S. Senate via other means.


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Since the ratification of the 17th Amendment to our Constitution, U.S. Senators gain office by direct elections in their respective states. Something has to be said for why there have beenso few African-Americans elected to this prestigious group of federal politicians. It is extremely important to look at what it takes to win elections to this position. The state-wide efforts are something that can hurt people of color, as they are way more likely to live in a state with a majority white population. Now of course I am not saying that white people cannot or will not vote for an African-American; after-all, they did help elect President Barack Obama. However, research has shown us that they are more hesitant to vote for a person of color, especially in conservative places.

As reported previously by fellow Liberal America writer Keith Brekhus, Cory Booker won by a fairly big margin in his U.S. Senate election in New Jersey. Is New Jersey an anomaly of sorts? I mean, four elected African-American in our nation’s history is still very abysmal. Or does his win show us that states are changing and are more accepting of African-American politicians? It seemed like everything had to go right for Barack Obama to be elected, at least the first time around; George W. Bush had tanked the economy, people wanted a change, Obama was likeable and marketable. Cory Booker is a very likeable and capable candidate. Undoubtedly this helped him win, but it’s important to realize that New Jersey voters could have hated him anyway, held his race against him, and elected his Republican opponent. Prejudice makes us blind and can cause us to act irrationally. This country is definitely changing and these prejudices seem to be lacking in many areas. We can now ask ourselves, will the history of the U.S. Senate start changing and being more diverse racially? We will see a myriad of African-Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and other underrepresented groups? Maybe Cory Booker’s win shows us that with a great team behind you, and a great candidate at the forefront, anything is possible.

Edited/Published by: SB

 

I was born on January 13, 1990. I was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. I moved up north and attended the University of CT from 2008 to 2012. I currently also work at a law firm in Uptown Charlotte and have been helping with this organization entitled the National Independent Voter Coalition. My interests include: Politics (obviously), Basketball (playing and watching) and watching almost any sport, movies, reading, the law, human rights, entertainment, mostly Angelina Jolie and Beyonce. I am fun, caring, passionate, intelligent, and unique!