News outlets and publications have covered the case of Breonna Taylor and the subsequent protests in the eight months after she was killed by police on March 13. Yet, there are still Republican politicians who aren’t quite sure who Taylor is.

On her first day in Congress, Missouri Congresswoman-elect Cori Bush posed for a picture wearing a face mask with the name “Breonna Taylor.” According to Elle Magazine, Bush tweeted a few hours later that a number of her Republican colleagues were confusing her for Taylor.

"It’s Day One, so I’m wearing my 'Breonna Taylor' mask," she wrote. "A few of my Republican colleagues have called me Breonna, assuming that’s my name. It hurts. But I’m glad they’ll come to know her name & story because of my presence here. Breonna must be central to our work in Congress."

In a video interview posted by Justice Democrats, a political awareness platform whose assisted efforts help get Bush and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez elected, the Missouri lawmaker said she was shocked at how leaders were unaware of who Taylor is.

"This has been national news for a long time, people have protested in the streets with this name. It just saddens me that people in leadership, people that want to be in leadership, don’t know the struggles that are happening to Black people in this country,” she said. “It’s disheartening and it’s hurtful. Absolutely hurtful.”

As Blavity previously
reported, Bush was elected as Missouri’s first Black representative in Congress. She claimed victory over 10-term incumbent U.S. Representative William Lacy Clay in the primary District 1 Missouri State House race.

Bush, a registered nurse and single mother, was inspired to make a run in politics after the police killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2014. It took three tries for her to capture the historic win as Bush previously lost her campaigns for the U.S. Senate in Missouri in 2016 and in 2018 for the U.S. House.

She said she plans to focus her work on COVID-19 relief, Medicare for All and social justice during her time in office.

In June, Bush wrote an op-ed for Elle about the critical need for Black leadership in political office. 

"The economic and health disparities we face have existed for far too long, with the same people in power tasked with closing those gaps," she wrote. "Now, we the people have decided to lead, advocate, educate, and empower. It’s not just Ferguson anymore. The whole world is taking to the streets."

Ahead of taking up her new, and exciting role, the 44-year-old shared that she was a little nervous about changes she might need to make to her wardrobe.

A number of her peers in Congress responded with suggestions and supporters shared that whatever she wore would be fitting “Congressional material,” as Blavity previously
reported.