Members of Congress
Adopt a Diversity Plan
Develop a written office diversity and inclusion plan that includes staff retention and development strategies, data collection, and analysis procedures. Of course, Title VII prohibits basing employment decisions on race or other protected characteristics. Expanding recruitment to diversify the candidate pool and removing barriers to apply are examples of measures that employers can take to diversify staff that bring more candidates into consideration and are lawful.
Work with the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
The CAO provides administrative, technical, and operational services to House Members and staff. Launched in August 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives Human Resources (HR) Hub (this link is exclusively available for U.S. House of Representatives employees) provides access to best practices, tips, tools, and customizable templates designed specifically for the needs of Member offices. The House HR Hub provides more than 30 hiring support resources focused on recruiting and selecting staff. These include sample messages to help communicate with applicants during the hiring process, several job posting examples, and templates for conducting writing tests. The House HR Hub also contains links to additional House resources, including payroll and benefits documents, and resources related to counseling and employee well-being.
Support the Establishment of a Bipartisan Senate Diversity and Inclusion Office to Improve Staff Diversity
The U.S. Senate should establish a bipartisan Senate Diversity Office that helps Senate offices recruit, hire, train, develop, and retain a diverse workforce, and collects and discloses disaggregated demographic data of all staff.
Work With the Tri-Caucus Staff Associations
In recruiting talent, work with the Congressional Asian Pacific American Staff Association, Congressional Black Associates, Congressional Hispanic Staff Association, and Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus, which maintain databases of strong diverse talent.
Engage the Tri-Caucus Nonprofit Organizations
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), and other organizations similarly focused on diversity in government are great resources for member offices. Recruiting and/or accepting interns and fellows from their programs, meeting with and speaking to their program participants, and supporting their missions by participating in their events will increase your office’s visibility among diverse talent and continue to build the pipeline of diverse staff.
Read Our Coalition Letters to Congress
Read our letters to new House members, new senators, returning House members, and returning senators. Read our blog post to learn more.
Constituents/Citizens
Contact Your Representatives
Tell your House member and Senators to prioritize diversity in staff hiring, retention, and promotion.
Know which congressional district you live in by entering your zip code in this website.
Track Diversity
Check out and share our report cards for new and returning House members and senators showing the diversity of top staff hires by new and returning members of Congress.
Read Our Research
If you have a returning member of Congress, check out our 2022 House Report (pages 36-38) and 2023 Senate Report (page 18) to learn if your member had top staff of color.
In the Media
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The Hill
Joint Center Senior Researcher Dr. LaShonda Brenson penned an op-ed entitled “Congressional offices urgently need racial diversity” in The Hill. In the piece, Dr. Brenson highlights the lack of racial diversity among top and mid-level staff in Congress and its impact on policymaking, especially amid the anticipated escalation of attacks on diverse communities. The op-ed was published in tandem with the launch of the Joint Center’s biennial hiring campaign that tracks the racial makeup of top staff hires in congressional offices.
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Reuters
Reuters featured the Joint Center’s report, “Pathway Staff Diversity in Senate Personal Offices,” highlighting its key findings.
From the article: “‘The Senate should reflect the diversity within America,’ said LaShonda Brenson, senior researcher at the center, which describes itself as ‘America’s Black Think Tank.’ ‘That, in turn, will reflect more policies that are more inclusive of all Americans.’”
This article was reposted by Yahoo! News, U.S. News & World Report, StreetInsider, Daily Mail, The Denver Gazette, and KFGO.
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Politico
POLITICO highlighted the Joint Center’s new report, “Pathway Staff Diversity in Senate Personal Offices,” sharing a breakdown of the study’s key findings.
From the article: “‘Employing a pathway staff that lacks diversity could limit the opportunity to employ a diverse top staff. Many congressional top staff job advertisements also specify a preference for candidates with previous Capitol Hill experience,’ wrote the study’s authors, LaShonda Brenson and Kimberly Victor. ‘Diversity in the pipeline would ensure that more staff of color meet the preference for Capitol Hill experience.’”