Breaking barriers and making history, US Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester gets candid

WASHINGTON (WPVI) -- She made history in the First State, and now she's making moves in Washington, D.C.

We sat down with Delaware's first Black woman senator to talk about breaking barriers, her first month in the upper chamber of Congress, and the idea that representation is more than just a milestone, but a movement.

"I always tell people it's not about making history. It's about making a difference in people's lives," said U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester.

"Do you feel like that's something that your father instilled in you?" asked Action News anchor Christie Ileto.

"Yes, my dad - Ted Blunt. I mean, he was all about service."

"Is there anything that he said to you growing up that is something you go back to all the time?" Ileto asked.

" Yes. Actually, he gave me a business card. And it was funny because he retired," she joked.

The card reads "You become what you see, unless you see what you want to become."

Lisa Blunt Rochester takes the former Wilmington Council President's advice and lessons with her everywhere. It's her foundation.

And it's fueled her career of service as a Deputy Secretary of Health and Social Service in Delaware to the state's first black female congresswoman, and now U.S. senator.

"It is both humbling and you feel a sense of responsibility," she said.

"I remember in 2022, you had a quote- you said "I can work with anyone," Ileto said.

"Yes. Yes. It's a new day, but my focus is still the same and I think the things that we can get done in a bipartisan way are lasting. It doesn't shift from administration to administration."

"Why is it so important that the work you're doing right now, not just for Delawareans, but the representation of who you are as a woman of color at a time when we're seeing so much rollback in representation in other spaces?" Ileto asked.

"We bring different life experiences. When we bring our lived experiences, I think that makes for better legislation. Better policy decisions," said Sen. Blunt Rochester.

"There is the possibility for somebody to see me, and then say, hey she did it. I can do it."

For more on the Senator's history-making run and our candid conversation, tune into a special VISIONS celebrating Black History Month this Saturday at 7 p.m. on 6abc and wherever you stream.