Lawmakers laud diversity gains in Congress

Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) said recent diversity gains in Congress could help create policies that better support minority communities.

“I think the more we can support folks who are stepping out and stepping up, the better off we’ll all be,” Davids said at The Hill’s Diversity and Inclusion Summit.

Speaking with The Hill’s Rafael Bernal, Davids also highlighted diversity gains outside of politics, including in the entertainment and fashion industries.

“We’re seeing lots of new voices coming into the fold,” she said.

But Davids, co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus and the Congressional Native American Caucus, cautioned against gains that are viewed as tokenism, instead encouraging a policymaking process genuinely driven by diverse voices.

“It’s not just for the sake of having someone in the room, but really for the sake of learning from their lived experience or from their expertise,” Davids said.

“I think if we’re really intentional about the way that we do that, that can help us avoid anything that remotely resembles something that’s maybe performative,” she said.

.@RepDavids on avoiding performative action:“when we’re making sure that we’re including voices in the conversation…it’s not just for the sake of having people in the room but really for the sake of learning from their lived experience” #TheHillDiversity https://t.co/OZTmb74Flf pic.twitter.com/JexbMVKWMl

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) October 14, 2021

Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), who lost reelection in his South Florida district in 2018, lauded record diversity levels in this year’s Congress.

“There’s so much bad news out of Congress,” he said at the event. “This is some good news that we should all celebrate.”

The 117th Congress includes the most women ever, alongside gains in the number of Black, Native American and LGBTQ members.

Curbelo said members of his former caucus have in many cases worked to recruit a more diverse class of candidates, pointing to efforts by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to increase the number of women in the caucus.

“A lot of Republicans are explicit and open about recruiting minority candidates,” Curbelo said.

Hon. @carloslcurbelo: “maybe the Republican party isn’t as loud or as explicit about this exercise, but I do think both parties are seeking to diversify and not just by race and ethnicity, but also by age” #TheHillDiversity https://t.co/OZTmb74Flf pic.twitter.com/vRNzARi1Tj

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) October 14, 2021

Curbelo expressed frustration at a lack of progress on passing immigration bills, saying such a move would take “dramatic action” in a bipartisan fashion that forces the hand of the two parties’ leadership. He said leaders in both parties have maintained a status quo by failing to pass a package.

Curbelo introduced a discharge petition in 2018 as part of attempts to force immigration votes on the House floor.

“The only way we can get back to that point is if members force the issue,” he said.

Marie Bernard, chief officer for scientific workforce diversity at the National Institutes of Health, said her agency is working to improve diversity in the broader scientific community, including other federal agencies, academic institutions and foundations.

“We’re all in this together,” Bernard said at the event sponsored by Gilead Sciences and The Rockefeller Foundation. “It’s really important that we take advantage of all that talent if we’re going to maintain our leadership role in science across the globe.”

.@NIH_COSWD Dr. Marie Bernard: “when you have diverse scientists at the table, number one, they’re going to think in broader and different perspectives about the things that are necessary to come up with answers” #TheHillDiversity https://t.co/OZTmb74Flf pic.twitter.com/v9gdV6yhqD

— The Hill Events (@TheHillEvents) October 14, 2021

She said recruiting diverse groups of researchers can foster broader perspectives and encourage minorities to participate in their research studies.

“Sometimes there are things that you never would have imagined would make a difference for a community that that person from that community will bring forward,” Bernard said.