Ferguson Activist Cori Bush Becomes Missouri’s First Black Congresswoman
In 2014, Cori Bush was a Ferguson protestor, today she is Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman.
Bush defeated Republican candidate Anthony Rogers, claiming almost 85% percent of the vote. Back in August, she beat out longtime Representative Lacy Clay for the democratic nomination. She will be representing Missouri’s first Congressional district, which includes Ferguson, the city from which Bush’s activism began. The Congresswoman-elect detailed her journey through the 2016 and 2018 elections in an op-ed with Elle back in June.
The First. pic.twitter.com/h3o0GxeFLR— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) November 4, 2020
Bush was a mental health nurse sent to help during the aftermath of the murder of unarmed teenager Mike Brown at the hands of Ferguson police. The front lines of Furguson protests resembled those of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. After a year of protests, Bush was inspired to make a change. Shocked by the violence she endured at the hands of police, Bush recognized that her community needed a leader that fought for the people facing these egregious injustices.
Mike Brown was murdered 2,278 days ago. We took to the streets for more than 400 days in protest. Today, we take this fight for Black Lives from the streets of Ferguson to the halls of Congress. We will get justice.— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) November 4, 2020
Congresswoman Bush is among many firsts during this election bid. In Delaware, Sarah McBride became the nation’s first transgender State Senator and in New York, Ritchie Torres and Mondaire Jones became the first Black and openly gay man elected to congress. Newcomers, like Bush and Jones, have social media users raving about new editions to the Squad. Original members of the group of Democratic powerhouses Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib were all re-elected in their districts.
A beacon of light on this dark night. Congresswoman Cori Bush gives me a ton of hope and the Squad keeps getting bigger. https://t.co/m6tmgeNe9n— Jeffery Kolesar (@Jeffery_Kolesar) November 4, 2020
With grassroots leaders elected by the communities in need, we hope to see changes made for the good of our country. Bush understands now more than ever an activist is needed to lead the people, someone who understands the suffering of the community that they represent. Standing on a platform supporting Medicare for all and prison reform, Bush will have her time to shine and make a change on Capitol Hill with Missouri’s first Congressional District behind her.
