Joint Center Covered in The New York Times

The Joint Center’s LaShonda Brenson, senior fellow of Diversity and Inclusion, told The New York Times that she is seeing a trend of top Black staff leaving Capitol Hill, eroding their already scarce numbers. Her comments followed a call by Black congressional staff for Congress to address low pay, limited career pipelines, and a senior staff that does not look like America. The “letter to America” by the Congressional Black Associates and the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus, which was also picked up by the Washingtonian, cited Joint Center data on staff diversity.

“You can’t just say, I need you to turn out to vote, and not also reflect people of color in these key positions in advising members of Congress on legislation,” said Dr. Brenson.