If Congress Really Wants to Become More Diverse, It Should Pay Staffers More and Stop Unpaid Internships

Lee Drutman wrote for Vox about building diversity among congressional staffers:

For years, congressional offices have struggled to build more diverse staffs.

A 2015 report by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, for example, found that while people of color make up more than 36 percent of the US population, they make up only 7.1 percent of top Senate staffers. An earlier report that looked at Latino hiring found similar underrepresentation across all positions.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is now urging fellow Democrats to make more of an effort. Specifically, he wants his colleagues to make sure they interview more minorities for positions, adopting what’s commonly known as the “Rooney Rule” — an NFL policy that requires teams to at least interview minority candidates for top coaching jobs.