Binder full of women....

‘We literally show up with our binder full of women’

The Black Women’s Congressional Alliance looks to promote diverse voices to work in the halls of Congress – even against the odds.

By REENA FLORES

Where are all the black women on Capitol Hill?

It’s the question that motivated Rhonda Foxx to form the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance, a coalition of minority staffers from across the political spectrum, and address what she saw as a dire lack of diversity in her workplace.

“We just had the realization that we are underrepresented,” Foxx, chief of staff to Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), said on the latest episode of the Women Rule podcast.

Foxx and Meaghan Lynch, communications director for Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), founded the BWCA in January to much fanfare.

Lynch recalled the group’s first informal gathering that month.

“Maybe 150 women showed up,” she said. “We didn’t have speeches or remarks or anything. Everyone just showed up and just talked amongst each other. People didn’t want to leave.”

There is little comprehensive information about the gender and racial makeup of congressional staff offices. But according to 2015 data from the Joint Center for Political and Economic studies, a nonprofit think tank, only about 7 percent of senior Senate staffers (a chief of staff, legislative director, communications director or staff director for a committee) were minorities.

And even when black women do make it into the halls of Congress, it can be difficult to thrive there.

“In my boss’ office when we came in … the expectations weren’t high,” Foxx recalled. “People were like, ‘If you want to be taken seriously, maybe you should hire a white man as your LD," or legislative director.

There are always micro-aggressions, the chief of staff said, but her solution to them is to view it as fuel for her ambitions.

“When you are with your boss and they ask you, ‘Are you the secretary?’ or, ‘Are you the scheduler?’ — because no one assumes that we’re chief of staffs or comms directors — let that be your fire,” Foxx said.

“I think people expect women to be angry,” said Jennifer DeCasper, chief of staff for Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who also joined the podcast conversation. “It’s a characteristic that’s commonly tied to us, whether you’re black or whether you’re just the angry woman.”

But to combat and deal with stereotypes, DeCasper said, she finds “levity” in the situation.

“I’m going to turn it into a joke, and I’m going to make you realize that what you just did or said is silly,” she said. “And I’m going to try my best to make you feel like an idiot about it.”

The group’s formation comes just as a recent Legistorm analysis shows that minority staffers face more than just hurtful comments: They’re also paid lower wages.

White congressional staffers make thousands a year more than their nonwhite colleagues, according to the data released in April. In the House of Representatives, white staffers have an annual salary that is, on average, $2,000 more than Hispanic aides and $3,500 more than black aides. In the Senate, white aides receive an average salary that’s $1,800 more than Hispanic staffers and $7,000 more than black staffers.

“The problem,” DeCasper said, “is pay in general. Hill staffers are just not paid well.”

And according to Foxx, it can be particularly difficult to gain equal footing in the workplace because, unlike many private-sector offices, Congress lacks oversight from a human resources department.

“There is no HR department; there is no set standard,” she said. “So coming in as a chief of staff, no one hands you, ‘Hey, this is what the pay scale should be.’ You are left to your own devices to kind of create that and craft that.”

Despite the hardships, BWCA is intent on increasing diversity on Capitol Hill with networking events, mentorship opportunities, and hiring suggestions for congressional offices.

“We literally show up with our binder full of women and say, ‘These are qualified candidates for jobs,’” Foxx said, harkening back to then-presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s 2012 gaffe. “We try to concentrate on the senior jobs, but we’ve had great success getting women [as] staff assistants and LAs," or legislative assistants.

“There are not enough Jennifers,” she added, referring to DeCasper. The Republican was the first black female chief of staff in the Senate.

“For her to be the first one, we need to be building a stronger pipeline,” Foxx said. "So maybe if we create a network for us and by us, we’d be able to promote ourselves, do some professional development, and really elevate a discourse around the need for a diverse and inclusive workforce here on Capitol Hill.”