Rep. Watson Coleman is serving her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, the continuation of a career in public service advocating for the needs of New Jersey families and the equitable treatment of all people. The first Black woman to represent her state in Congress, Rep. Watson Coleman is a member of the Appropriations Committee and the Homeland Security Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security. She also serves as Vice-Chair at Large of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Her work in the House centers on her belief that, in this country, there’s a floor below which we should never allow any child, family or person to fall. Knowing that millions struggle every day just to make ends meet, her legislative work seeks to bridge the gap.

In 2016, she founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls alongside two of her colleagues, the first caucus aimed at bringing both the tremendous challenges and incredible successes of Black women to the forefront in Congress’s policy debates. In addition to continuing to co-chair the Caucus on Black Women and Girls and the role she serves with the Progressive Caucus, Rep. Watson Coleman is an active member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

She is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College and has received honorary doctorate degrees from the College of New Jersey, Rider University and Stockton University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and co-chair of the Girl Scouts of America Capitol Hill Honorary Troop.