In November, 1992, who was elected as America's first black female US Senator?

The 1992 election cycle was famously dubbed the "Year of the Woman," as a record number of women ran for and won seats in the United States Congress. Among the most significant of these victories was that of an Illinois lawyer and local politician who shattered a long-standing barrier. With her win, Carole Moseley Braun became the first African American woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate. She was also the first female senator to represent Illinois.

Her path to Washington was propelled by national events. Moseley Braun was motivated to run after watching the contentious 1991 confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She was outraged by the all-male, all-white Senate Judiciary Committee's handling of Anita Hill's testimony and decided to challenge her state's incumbent senator in the primary. After a surprising victory, she went on to win the general election.

During her single term in the Senate from 1993 to 1999, she was the chamber's only Black member. As a senator, she served on the powerful Finance Committee and made headlines for successfully defeating a proposal to renew a design patent for the United Daughters of the Confederacy that included the Confederate battle flag. Her landmark election opened a new chapter in American politics and paved the way for others to follow.