Welcome to the 116th United States Congress Mid-term elections I enjoyed watching the 116th United States Congress get started on January 3, 2019. The media coverage was a bright spot. It was fun, full of teachable moments, and the incoming class itself inspired me. I welcomed it after the frenetic holiday news cycles about a volatile stock market, the government shut-down, and trade wars. By now you know that this Congress is different from the others, but it’s worth recapping some of those differences. 127 women serve in this Congress, roughly 24% of all the seats. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib are the first Muslim women in Congress. Ilhan Omar is the first Somali-American to serve. Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland are the first Native American women in Congress. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Connecticut elected Jahana Hayes and Massachusetts elected Ayanna Pressley, the first black Congresswomen for their states. Texas elected its first Latina Congresswomen, Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar. Iowa elected its first two women Congresswomen, Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer. What message do you want to deliver to the 116th Congress? We are launching our monthly survey series with this question. Tell us what you think by completing the survey below or by leaving a note in the comments. We’ll summarize the results right here on our blog next month. In struggle for harmony, Loading… Sign up for the Sisters Testify Newsletter if you want to stay connected. Complete the Sisters Testify survey. Photo credit: From left, Lauren Underwood D-IL, Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., and Ilhan Omar D-MN, during the swearing-in ceremony of Congressional Black Caucus members of the 116th Congress at The Warner Theatre in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)