Congresswoman Sharice Davids partnered with HRC for a Twitter Takeover to talk about visibility and why representation matters.

Rep. Sharice Davids partnered with HRC for a Twitter Takeover to talk about visibility and why representation matters.

1/ Hey Twitter! It’s Rep. @ShariceDavids taking over @HRC’s account this #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth to talk about why visibility and representation matter. pic.twitter.com/twx8ThxDr3
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

2/ I ran for Congress to fight for the people of Kansas, and I ended up making history.

Today, I am one of *two* Native American women to ever serve in the House of Representatives and one of only a handful of openly LGBTQ members of Congress. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover pic.twitter.com/IKxJoV8ys8
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

3/ This significance isn’t lost on me, especially as we honor #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.

I wouldn’t be here without the contributions of all the incredible Native people who shaped our nation as we know it today. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover https://t.co/Q0CZOrHDfD
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

4/ Many of us know how hard it can be to be part of a marginalized group.

But more diverse candidates are running—and winning—than ever before.

Now more than ever, we realize the truth that representation matters.
—@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover https://t.co/WbZr59deD6
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

5/ I am humbled to serve the people in my district, and I am honored every day to walk the halls of the Capitol as a woman, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation and as a part of the LGBTQ community. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

6/ We have to be in the room because if we're not, then whole communities get left out of conversations.

Sometimes it's intentional. But a lot of times, it isn’t—and that is often more dangerous. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

7/ In 2019, we are still seeing laws and practices persist that disenfranchise Native voters, LGBTQ voters, voters of color and so many other marginalized communities, not just in Kansas, but all across the U.S. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover https://t.co/aTXiOGNfgD
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

8/ For far too long, Native American and LGBTQ voices have been underrepresented in Congress.

By having new perspectives at the table, we’re literally bringing ideas and experiences to the national conversation that haven’t been there before. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover pic.twitter.com/IqRXTxxSUe
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

9/ It’s why being a part of the House’s historic passage of the #EqualityAct was so meaningful to me—not because I thought that the Senate or Mitch McConnell would do their jobs—but because it is the kind of thing that can literally save lives. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

10/ According to the @CDCgov’s 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, among Native American LGBTQ youth:
❌50% report feeling sad or hopeless
❌15% did not go to school because they felt unsafe
❌More than 1/3 were bullied on school property
—@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

11/ I'm consistently inspired by the Native and LGBTQ youth in this country. They give me hope for our future.

But these numbers are unacceptable, and it’s up to each of us to address them and work to change this reality. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

12/ For LGBTQ youth and Native youth and people who have been left out of the conversation, it means a lot for leaders across this country to step up and say, “Your experience matters. It matters that you’re here.”
—@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover pic.twitter.com/2TZ03fA99y
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

13/ If I could go up to every single young person in this country and tell them “you matter,” I would.

But right now the only thing I can do is to keep pushing for policy that’s going to institutionalize that message for our kids. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

14/ I get to stand before you as:
��The first out LGBTQ member of Kansas’ delegation
��One of the first two Native American women to ever serve in Congress
��Part of the most diverse Congressional class ever

And that means something.
—@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover pic.twitter.com/A7QjagfA8B
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

15/ We have so much more work to do, and that only happens if each and every one of us registers and gets out to vote.

The right to vote was fought for by so many. We must honor that fight and commit ourselves to it. —@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover https://t.co/JHpdNpaaIg
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019

16/16 One different voice in the room can change policy.
One different voice in the room can change lives.

We owe it to the next generation and the generation after that to start making change now.
—@ShariceDavids #HRCTwitterTakeover
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 14, 2019