Congresswoman
Nanette Diaz Barragán
(D-CA44)
Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán was elected to the U.S. House
of Representatives in November 2016, becoming the first Latina ever
to represent California’s 44th Congressional district. Born in Harbor
City and growing up in its surrounding harbor communities, Barragán’s
humble beginnings shaped her interest in issues that matter locally:
environmental and health justice, immigration reform, strengthening the
economy and affordable and accessible education.
With a desire to give back to her communities, in the late 1990s, she
began her career in public service. Barragán was the first woman in 12 years
to be elected to the Hermosa Beach City Council, and was then elected by her
Congresswoman
Sylvia Garcia
(D-TX29)
Sylvia R. Garcia was elected
to the U.S. House of
Representatives on November
2018, becoming the first Latina ever to
represent Texas 29th Congressional
district. A native of Palito Blanco, a
South Texas farming community, Garcia
is the eighth of 10 children.
Garcia has dedicated her life to
her community and to public service. As a social worker and legal aid
lawyer early in her professional career, she protected the community's most
peers as the first-ever Latina to serve
as Mayor of the beach city.
In the 115th Congress, Nanette
was elected by her peers to serve
as the freshman class president as well
as a regional whip, working with her
colleagues and reporting back to
leadership their thoughts on legislation.
In 2019, she became the first
Latina in 10 years to hold a seat on this
prestigious committee and only the
second Latina ever to do so. She is the
Second-Vice Chair of the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus and a member of the
Progressive Caucus. She serves on
the House Committee on Homeland Security and was appointed to the
exclusive House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
vulnerable, old and young. She continued her public service career by serving
as Director and Presiding Judge of the Houston Municipal System for an
unprecedented five terms under two mayors. In 1998, she was elected City
Controller, the second-highest elected official in Houston city government and
its chief financial officer.
After two terms as Controller, she was elected to the Harris County
Commissioner's Court. The first Hispanic and first woman to be elected in her
own right to the office, she continued her advocacy for working families and
made certain Harris County took care of its most defenseless, all while making
certain Harris County led the way for new jobs and economic development.
In 2018, Sylvia decided to take her fight to Washington D.C. On January
3, 2019, she was inaugurated to represent Texas Congressional District 29
becoming the first Hispanic member of the Houston Congressional Delegation
and one of the first two Latinas to represent the State of Texas in the U.S.
Congress.
Congresswoman
Veronica Escobar
(D-TX16)
Congresswoman Veronica Escobar represents Texas’ 16th
Congressional District in El Paso. She took office on January 3, 2019,
as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives after making
history as the first woman elected to this seat and the first of two Latinas from
Texas to serve in Congress.
Congresswoman Escobar serves on the House Judiciary Committee,
as well as the House Armed Services Committee. She serves in leadership
positions on both the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus (CHC) and the
Congressional Progressive Caucus
(CPC), as the Freshman Representative
and Vice-Chair, respectively. She is also
a member of the New Democrat
Coalition, and the Democratic Women’s
Working Group, where she serves as
Co-Chair of the Immigration Taskforce.
As a third-generation El Pasoan,
Congresswoman Escobar has
dedicated her life’s work to improving
the lives of El Pasoans. Prior to
her service with El Paso County,
Congresswoman Escobar was an
20 LATINAStyle www.latinastyle.com Vol. 25, No. 5, 2019
/www.latinastyle.com
