Professor of Political Science Katherine Tate co-authored the project with Christopher Stout, a political science professor at University of California, San Diego, and Jennifer Garcia, an associate professor of politics and comparative American studies at Oberlin College. Professor of Political Science Katherine Tate was not surprised by the findings of her most recent research project: In Congress, “representation of minorities does matter substantively,” she said in an interview with The Herald. In her new book, “Black Voices in the Halls of Power: Race and Rhetorical Representation in Congress,” Tate, along with two co-authors, investigate how Black representatives in Congress address issues of race differently from their white colleagues. Black members of Congress are significantly more likely to speak about race and advocate for the concerns of Black constituents than Democrat or Republican non-Black legislators, Tate said. Stout pointed to how Black legislators brought discussions of the Black Lives Matter movement to Congress.