Representative Jasmine Crockett makes sports history as the first Black woman to play for the Democrats in the Congressional Baseball Game. Speaking to NBC News, Crockett said she was excited to participate in the game on June 14.
“We’ve got a historic number of women that are in Congress right now, and then when it comes to the Democratic side, even in my class, we have a historic number of Black women,” Crockett told NBC News. “For this to be truly a congressional game, we felt like it was really important to make the very-early-morning sacrifices.”
Despite the GOP team beating the Democrats 16-6, Crockett said the game represented an important lesson or the country.
“It sends a signal that we are still making progress in this country and don’t give up on us. There are those of us that are constantly fighting to shatter the next glass ceiling,” Crockett said. “Hopefully it will be a vision of hope and inspiration for those that may feel as if they’re getting a little beat down right now.”
The game has been a tradition since 1909, with proceeds from the game benefitting charities. This year’s proceeds will go toward the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, Washington Nationals Philanthropies, the local Major League Baseball team’s charity, and the Washington Literacy Center.
Crocket has been the representative for Texas’s 30th congressional district since 2023. She won the seat of retiring congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. Johnson stepped down from his seat after almost 30 years in Congress.
“While I didn’t have a traditional path to this position, I understand the legacy that exists. I will spend every day in office doing my best to honor her legacy, to live up to what it is that she told you all I was going to do,” Crockett said following her win in November 2022.