The mission of the National Women’s Political Caucus is to increase women’s participation in the political process. We identify, recruit, train and support self-identified , pro-choice women for election and appointment to public office at every level of government.

In pursuit of this goal, NWPC Sacramento will strive to win equality for all women, ensure reproductive freedom, achieve quality dependent care and paid family leave, put the Equal Rights Amendment into the U.S. Constitution, and to work to eradicate sexism, racism, and all other systems of oppression and discrimination

The New York Times published portraits of 130 of the 131 women serving in the 116th Congress  – there was an excellent article in the Times describing the process and another great piece in Coieter by Bibi Deitz that captures the impact:

In a perfect world, Congress would have way more women and we wouldn’t be applauding the fact that they comprise almost a quarter of the House and Senate. But—baby steps. This term, women comprise close to 25 percent of Congress, which is still not enough, but it’s a good start.

After all, it was only 102 years ago that the first woman was elected to the House of Representatives: Jeannette Rankin of Montana, as the New York Times points out. To commemorate how far we’ve come (and how much farther we need to go), the Times took it upon themselves to photograph 130 of the 131 women elected to Congress this year—and the result is inspiring. (Rep Liz Cheney of Wyoming “was not available” to sit for a portrait.)

The Times’ portraits challenge any pre-existing ideas of what power looks like by placing women of all generations and colors in the spotlight, and letting their dignity and grace shine through. Photographers Elizabeth D. Herman and Celeste Sloman chose to light the women gently, letting their features take the spotlight. In a few portraits, lush yellow or red curtains hang in the background, evoking and redefining President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s official portrait. In all instances, the women’s eyes seem to say: “This is what power looks like.”