June 20, 2012

 Washington, D.C. -- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s office hosted a workshop to inform Capitol Hill interns about the Senate Diversity Initiative, which seeks to have Senate staff better reflect the nation’s diversity. Nine diversity staff associations and over two dozen House and Senate staff volunteers met with 150 interns representing over 90 Capitol Hill offices.

“I am proud of the Senate Democrats' commitment to staff diversity,” said Sen. Reid. “In the nearly five years since I created the Initiative, we have worked with hundreds of individuals who want to work on Capitol Hill. The event for interns was a wonderful way to highlight our staff diversity and hopefully encourage many of these interns to return someday as staffers – or Senators.”

Caren Howard, coordinator for the African American Women network, said these workshops and initiatives are extremely important to put in place mechanisms that help minorities find positions in Congress.

“The African American Women on the Hill Network is an enthusiastic supporter of the Senate Diversity Initiative because its intern workshop fills a critical gap in the support system for interns of color in Washington, DC.,” Howard said. “This workshop offers a unique platform for networking, mentoring, and professional development.”

Added Bertha Guerrero, the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association’s President: “This week's event was a success. Programs such as the Senate Diversity Initiative are critical to propelling minority candidates into successful careers in Federal government. At more than 54 million strong, Hispanics are both the largest and fastest growing minority group, yet are still underrepresented in the Congressional workforce. The future of America is inextricably linked to the future of the Latino community.”

The workshop was held on Wednesday, June 19, 2012. For more information on the Senate Diversity Initiative, please go to https://democrats.senate.gov/jobs/.

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