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BLM activist Cori Bush wins in Missouri, becomes state’s first Black congresswoman

by Anagha Srikanth | Nov. 4, 2020 | Nov. 04, 2020

Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Cori Bush gives her victory speech at her campaign office on August 4, 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Story at a glance

  • Cori Bush was elected to the House of Representatives from Missouri’s 1st congressional district, which includes the city of Ferguson.
  • The Black Lives Matter activist is the state’s first Black congresswoman.
  • Bush will join the ranks of several other historic elects.

Six years after the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., gave birth to the current Black Lives Matter movement, the district has elected the state’s first Black congresswoman. 

 

“Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress 52 years ago. Today, I became the first Black woman elected to represent Missouri in Congress. It’s 2020. I shouldn’t be the first, but I am honored to carry this responsibility,” Cori Bush said on Twitter. 

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Bush first defeated longtime incumbent Missouri Rep. William Lacy Clay in an August primary after losing to him in 2018. She claimed 84 percent of the vote over Republican nominee Anthony Rogers and Libertarian Alex Furman. 

The historically Democratic 1st congressional district includes St. Louis City, the state’s second largest, as well as Maryland Heights, University City, Ferguson and Florissant in northern St. Louis County. Nearly half of the district’s residents are Black and the median income in the primarily urban area is $46,850, according to data from the Census Bureau. 

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In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Bush also became the first nurse from Missouri to go to Congress, she announced on Twitter, praising front line workers and touting the importance of “working class” representation. 

“To all the counted outs, the forgotten abouts, the marginalized, and the pushed asides. This is our moment. We came together to end a 52-year family dynasty. That’s how we build the political revolution,” she said on Twitter. 

Featured in the 2019 Netflix documentary “Knock Down the House,” Bush has been anointed one of the newest members of the Squad by some media. A retweet from Rashida Tlaib might just be her invite.

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