U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.)

U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke is a Brooklyn native who has represented the 11th congressional district of New York since 2007. She is the youngest African-American to serve in the U.S. Congress.

The Jamaican American attended public school in New York and received a scholarship to Oberlin College. She also received the renowned APPAH/Sloan Fellowship in Public Policy and Policy Analysis.

Before becoming a member of Congress, Clarke was elected to the New York City Council and represented the 40th District in Brooklyn. She made history when she succeeded her mother, former City Councilor Una S. T. Clarke, making them the first mother-daughter succession in the council’s history.

Clarke’s political accomplishments include securing millions of dollars in federal funds for her district to support institutions such as the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Brooklyn Public Library.

Yvette Clarke is making history as… a politician dedicated to serving her district and its constituents. Clarke’s lifelong career in politics has been at the local and federal level, and her support for her community has never wavered.

What’s next for Clarke?

Clarke is a member of the Homeland Security Committee and the Small Business Committee in the House of Representatives, working on national safety and economic development issues.

A little-known fact…

There are 90 women currently serving in Congress. Thirteen of the women are African American, and two others are non-voting delegates representing the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, according to the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University.

For more information on Congresswoman Clarke, click here.