Black Talent Initiative
Racial & Ethnic Representation Among Top Staff in the U.S. House of Representatives Social Media Toolkit
Thank you for helping us spread the word about the new Joint Center report “The Road to Zero Wealth: How the Racial Wealth Divide is Hollowing Out America’s Middle Class.” Please use the hashtag #DiversityOnThehHill when sharing with your community.
The full report and key findings can be found here.
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- Share with your audience by reposting our announcement of the report on your social media pages:
Use our sample posts below to amplify this launch to your network! Feel free to modify the content below as you see fit with your organization’s name, voice, and audience. Graphics can be found below.
GENERAL POST
LinkedIn / Facebook:
Behind every member of Congress is a team — how much influence do they have?
The Joint Center’s latest report reveals persistent gaps in racial and ethnic representation among top staff in the U.S. House — including chiefs of staff, legislative directors, communications directors, and committee staff directors — roles that significantly shape federal policymaking and oversight.
Even as the U.S. grows more diverse, House staff leadership still doesn’t reflect the nation it serves.
📈 The data shows:
People of color are:
➡️ 42.9% of the U.S. population
➡️ Just 21.6% of House top staff
➡️ Just 17.9% of full committee staff directors
🔗 Read the full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Twitter/X:
📊 Who holds power behind the scenes in Congress?
New @JointCenter report reveals:
People of color are 42.9% of U.S. population, but:
➡️ Just 21.6% of House top staff
➡️ Just 17.9% of full committee staff directors
🔗 Read the full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Instagram Caption:
📊 Who really holds power behind the scenes in Congress?
The Joint Center’s latest report reveals that while people of color make up 42.9% of the U.S. population, they hold just:
➡️ 21.6% of top staff roles in the House
➡️ 17.9% of committee staff director positions
Even as the nation grows more diverse, House leadership still doesn’t fully reflect the people it serves.
📖 Read the full report at the link in bio.
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Chart 1 – Top Staff vs U.S. Population
Instagram Caption:
We need a House that reflects the nation it serves.
📉 People of color = 42.9% of the U.S.
Top House staff = 21.6% people of color
📖 Read the full report at the link in bio.
#RepresentationMatters #HillDiversity
Facebook / LinkedIn
📉 Who’s in top staff positions in House offices — and who’s left out?
New data from the Joint Center shows a stark gap in representation:
➡️ People of color = 42.9% of the U.S. population
➡️ But just 21.6% of top House staff roles
📖 Explore the full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Twitter/X:
📉 People of color = 42.9% of the U.S.
Top House staff = just 21.6%
The gap between the diversity of the US population and who holds power in Congress is real — and it matters.
🔗Read the new @JointCenter report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Chart 2 – Breakdown by Staff Role
Facebook / LinkedIn
Who gets the top leadership roles in House offices?
📌 Chiefs of Staff: 20.3% POC
📌 Legislative Directors: 22.5% POC
📌 Communications Directors: 22.1% POC
Despite growing national diversity, top staff roles still don’t reflect the communities Congress serves (42.9% POC).
📖 Full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Twitter/X
People of color are still underrepresented in the top staff roles that shape policy.
📌 Chiefs of Staff: 20.3% POC
📌 Legislative Directors: 22.5% POC
📌 Comms Directors: 22.1% POC
🌎 U.S. Population: 42.9% POC
🔗 Read more: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Who gets the top titles in House offices?
📌 Chiefs of Staff: 20.3% POC
📌 Legislative Directors: 22.5% POC
📌 Comms Directors: 22.1% POC
Top staff roles matter — these are the people who shape policy before it reaches the House floor.
📖 Full report in bio
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters
Chart 3 – Diversity Over Time (2018–2025)
Facebook / LinkedIn
📈 Progress — but not fast enough.
Top House staff who identify as people of color:
➡️ 13.7% in 2018
➡️ 21.6% in 2025
The increase shows progress, but the gap remains wide as people of color make up 42.9% of the U.S population.
📖 Explore the full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#RepresentationMatters #HillDiversity
Twitter/X
📈 Top House staff diversity:
2018 — 13.7% POC
2025 — 21.6% POC
Progress is happening. But representation still lags behind reality, as people of color make up 42.9% of the U.S. population
🔗 Learn more in our report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
📈 Diversity among House top staff has increased:
2018 — 13.7% POC
2025 — 21.6% POC
Progress is happening — but we still have a long way to go to match the nation’s diversity (42.9% POC).
📖 Report in bio
#RepresentationMatters #HillDiversity
Chart 4 – Role Comparison: 2018 vs 2025
Facebook / LinkedIn
📊 Where have we seen the biggest jumps in diversity?
Since 2018:
➡️ Legislative Directors: +11 percentage pts
➡️ Communications Directors: +9 percentage pts
➡️ Chiefs of Staff: +4 percentage pts
There’s movement — but top staff leadership still significantly lags behind the nation’s diversity.
📖 Full breakdown: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
Twitter/X
Since 2018:
📈 Legislative Directors: +11 percentage pts
📈 Comms Directors: +9 percentage pts
📈 Chiefs of Staff: +4 percentage pts
There’s progress — but representation at the top still isn’t where it should be.
🔗 Learn why here: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
📊 Where has top staff diversity improved most?
Since 2018:
➡️ Legislative Directors: +11 percentage pts
➡️ Communications Directors: +9 percentage pts
➡️ Chiefs of Staff: +4 percentage pts
Still, representation gaps remain.
📖 Learn more in our latest report. Link in bio.
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters #DiversityOnTheHill
Chart 5 – Diversity by Party
Facebook / LinkedIn
Diversity in House staffing is far from representative:
➡️ The majority of POC staff serve in Democratic offices
➡️ Republican offices lag significantly behind
Representation must be bipartisan to build a truly inclusive Congress.
📖 Read more: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
Twitter/X
Representation in Congress must go beyond party lines. ⬇️
🟦 Democrats employ the most top staff of color
🟥 Republicans lag behind
🔗 https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
Representation gaps remain along party lines ⬇️
🟦 Most staff of color work in Democratic offices
🟥 Republican representation is far behind
This gap affects whose voices are heard in policymaking.
📖 Full report in bio
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters #DiversityOnTheHill
Chart 6 – Committee Staff Director Diversity
Facebook / LinkedIn
Committee staff wield enormous influence — but people of color hold just 17.9% of staff director positions.
📌 42.9% = people of color in the U.S.
📌 17.9% = House committee staff directors
📖 Dive into the data: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#RepresentationMatters #HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
Twitter/X
📉 People of color = 42.9% of the U.S.
But hold just 17.9% of House committee staff director roles.
🔗 Learn more: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
📉 Who’s leading House committee staff behind the scenes?
People of color make up only 17.9% of staff directors — despite being 42.9% of the population.
That’s a major gap in policy power.
📖 Report in bio
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters #DiversityOnTheHill
Chart 7 – Change in Committee Staff Diversity (2018–2025)
Facebook / LinkedIn
Since 2018, committee staff director diversity has inched forward:
📈 2018 — 15.0%
📈 2025 — 17.9%
Better — but not yet equitable. This matters because these are the people shaping what legislation gets considered
📖 Full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
Twitter/X
Committee staff director diversity:
2018 — 15.0%
2025 — 17.9%
A small step forward. But a big gap remains as people of color make up 42.9% of the U.S. population.
🔗 Read more: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#RepresentationMatters #HillDiversity
📈 Progress in committee leadership? It’s inching forward, slowly.
Since 2018, the people of color serving as House committee staff directors rose just under 3 points from 15.0% to 17.9% — still well below the percentage of people of color in the U.S. population (42.9%).
📖 Read the report in bio
#HillDiversity #RepresentationMatters #DiversityOnTheHill
NEXT STEPS
Instagram Caption:
📢 Diversity in Congress starts with top staff.
The @JointCenter recommends:
➡️ Publish detailed staff demographic data
➡️ Create diversity plans for each office
➡️ Empower the Office of Talent Management to lead on transparency & inclusion
Representation should be structural — not optional.
🔗 Learn more with the link in bio.
#DiversityOnTheHill
Facebook / LinkedIn
📢 Diversity in Congress starts behind the scenes — with top staff.
To build a workforce that reflects the nation, the Joint Center recommends:
➡️ Publish detailed staff demographic data
➡️ Create diversity plans for each office
➡️ Empower the Office of Talent Management to lead on transparency & inclusion
These steps move representation from rhetoric to reality.
📖 Explore the full report: https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#DiversityOnTheHill
Twitter/X
📢 Diversity starts with top staff.
The @JointCenter recommends:
➡️ Publish detailed staff demographic data
➡️ Create diversity plans for each office
➡️ Empower the Office of Talent Management to lead on transparency & inclusion
Representation should be structural — not symbolic.
🔗 https://jointcenter.org/racial-ethnic-representation-among-top-staff-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives/
#HillDiversity #DiversityOnTheHill
