Moseley Braun, Carol

Impact on the world

Became the first African American woman elected to the United States Senate in 1992, representing Illinois, a victory that followed her work as an Illinois state legislator registering tens of thousands of new Black voters through Project Vote, an effort a young Barack Obama helped organize.

Life & background

An Illinois state legislator before her landmark 1992 election, Moseley Braun became the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, representing Illinois. Her path to that victory was aided in part by Project Vote, a voter registration drive in Chicago that registered tens of thousands of new African American voters and was organized in part by a young community organizer named Barack Obama, who would himself later represent Illinois in the Senate and become the nation's first Black president.

Sources

1. Britannica (Barack Obama); U.S. Senate Historical Office (Featured Biography); U.S. House History, Art & Archives (MOSELEY BRAUN, Carol)