Photo of Newly-Elected Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley
Last week’s midterm elections resulted in so many firsts for women in this country. When Congress is sworn in for its 116th term, there will be a new set of faces who are younger, browner, and more female than ever before. And no, the excitement hasn’t worn off yet.
So you’ll have to excuse the fact that I literally squealed with joy upon seeing New York Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez‘s latest Instagram post from Washington, D.C. featuring none other than her new colleagues Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar. This one photo features the youngest person elected to Congress, the first black woman to represent Massachusetts, the first Palestinian-American woman elected to the House, and the first Somali-American Muslim and first woman of color to represent Minnesota.
Talk about a powerful ‘Gram—which Ocasio-Cortez aptly captioned, “Squad”.
Tlaib also posted a photo of this power posse, writing, “#DreamTeam in Congress. Going to hit the ground running fighting for #JusticeforAll. Congresswomen elect Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar. @ilhanmn @ayannapressley @ocasio2018”
I love that these inspiring women are already hatching plans to change the world together and further disproving the old-fashioned notion that somehow groups of women can’t work with each other without in-fighting and jealousy. If these elections proved anything, it’s that the power of women in America has never been stronger.
And based on the comments, I’m not alone. “The #DreamTeam makes me proud to be an American and gives me hope for a better future,” one IG user wrote under the photo. “Well done ladies!”
“Felicitaciones ❤️This brings tears of joy to me today,” said another. “Thank you all so very much for stepping up. Count on me to support you.”
The new Congress will be sworn in in January, but thankfully, our new Congresswomen aren’t waiting until then to hit the ground running. We can’t wait to see what’s next, ladies.
MORE: This Is How Women Voted in the Midterms—and What It Means for Election 2020