Lauren Underwood
The Youngest Black Woman to Serve in Congress
Lauren Underwood, a Naperville, Illinois resident, made history on Thursday, January 3, 2019, by being the youngest black woman to be sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives. At only 32 years of age, Underwood became a member of the 116th Congress, representing Illinois’ 14th Congressional District. For Naperville itself, where she is from, Underwood made other historic firsts: she was the first millennial and the first black person of either sex to represent her community in Congress.¹ In a press release issued one week later, Underwood said:
“It is a new day in the House of Representatives. In the Democratic Majority, when the American people have elected the most diverse Congress with more women serving than ever before, we are demonstrating a commitment to conducting the business of our Nation with the highest standards of ethics and decency.”
The swearing-in ceremony was occasioned by the passage of the Opening Day Rules package, which included a pair of provisions to the Congressional Accountability Act. The provisions, which Underwood wrote, prohibit members of Congress and their committee staff from establishing sexual relationships. And they also prohibit the issuance of non-disclosure agreements to silence victims of sexual assault and those who witness such assaults.
Lauren Ashley Underwood was born in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, on October 4, 1986. She and her family moved to Naperville, Illinois, when she was three. Underwood became a Girl Scout in kindergarten and is a lifetime member. She graduated from Neuqua Valley High School in 2004. While a junior in high school, she served on the City of Naperville's Fair Housing Advisory Commission, then she attended the University of Michigan, where, in 2008, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
During her first year in nursing school, Underwood was drawn to politics after taking a course on policy and politics in nursing and healthcare. She later earned two master’s degrees in public health nursing from John Hopkins University. She began a career as a registered nurse in 2008, during which she attended university and worked as a policy coordinator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She later rose to special assistant/senior advisor for HHS and helped to implement the Affordable Care Act. She also served as an adjunct instructor, teaching future nurses via Georgetown University’s online master’s program.
Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) on the steps outside the U.S. Capitol on July 25, 2019. She addressed fellow House Democrats in recognition of the 200th day of the 116th Congress. Photo courtesy of Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Underwood announced her candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in August of 2017. She ran on a platform that focused on affordable healthcare. In her first run for office, Underwood went on to defeat six men in the primary, and with the endorsement of former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, she successfully unseated incumbent Republican Randy Hultgren in the general election. In her first term, she wrote six bills that were signed into law, including one that lowered the cost of diabetes medication. Underwood secured a second term in the November 2020 election, narrowly defeating State Senator Jim Oberweis.
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This article appears in 21st Century Black Changemakers.
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Ralph Bunche was an activist and international civil servant with a storied career. He has the distinction of being the first black recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.