Over the years, the number of black members serving in both houses in the US has been on the rise. For instance, in the 109 th Congress, there was a record number of Black Americans (43) in the House of Representatives (42 in number) and 1 in Congress. By then, 117 African Americans had been elected to the US Congress, of which 24 had been women (Amer, 2005). The figure shows the disproportionately low number of women elected to the two houses despite Yvonne Brathwaite Burke breaking the barriers many decades back.
In the history of Black women in American politics, no name attracts many firsts like Yvonne Brathwaite Burke. She was a notable figure and had a remarkable political career. At a tender age of 34, Burke was already exceeding expectations in a field few women, or even Black American men dared to venture. Though Burke may be popular in the public domain for the 1973 incident in which she delivered while in Congress, her political and career exploits cannot be understated. As cited by Amer (2005) on African American, elected representatives to both houses show that the group is less represented with women facing an even difficult hurdle to succeed in a white and male dominated field. However, Burke is the emancipation of hope for African Americans; the epitome of a black woman capabilities. She also served as a deputy corporation commissioner for the state and hearing commissioner for Los Angeles police commission.
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Based on records presented by the US House of Representatives, Burke was catapulted to politics by her legal practice, which was recognized by Governor Edmond Brown of California in 1965. She played a part in the “McCone Commission” which was investigating the circumstances which brought about the Watts riots. Perhaps the driving factor to enter into politics stemmed from an understanding that blacks, particularly women, had little chance of progress in a white and male dominated public service sector. Burke had experienced rejection by law firms before for being an African-American woman. Her motivation was to fight for civil and women rights. Burke joined politics following the circumstances surrounding the legislation that was meant to address the rampant discernment, as well as disparities targeting people of color. Her joining was prompted by the sluggish manner in which this matter was being handled. Her illustrious political career spanned a number of years including as a member of the 93 rd , 94 th , and 95 th Congress. During this time, Burke, a democrat, pushed for recognition of the shift in the civil rights struggle to a less overt discriminating phase, and called for its confrontation. She also made a mark in fighting for equal chances for businesses owned by the minorities in the erection of the “Trans-Alaskan Pipeline”. She did this by putting forward amendments to the contract’s framework. Burke’s support for feminist issues led to her joining of the Congressional Women’s Caucus in 1977. She also worked in various committees through which she effected different changes on variety of issues. In the house, she earned the reputation of a determined and hardworking legislator who avoided confrontation and focused on achieving her objectives. She also championed for women issues and participated in successful ratification of the equal rights amendment of time limit to three more years. As much as Burke retired from active politics in 2008, President Barack Obama appointed her to serve in the Amtrak board of directors in 2012, a position she still holds up to now.
Overall, Burke served as an example to be emulated by women in American politics who want to succeed in a male dominated field. The platform she set for herself and the subsequent representatives has no comparison.
References
Amer, M. L. (2005, August). Black Members of the United States Congress: 1870-2005. Library of Congress Washington DC Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a465396.pdf.
US House of Representatives. (n.d). BURKE, Yvonne Brathwaite. History, Art, & Archives. Retrieved from https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/B/BURKE,-Yvonne-Brathwaite-(B001102)/.
