The speaker of the House was subject to online ridicule after his Instagram post with dozens of Capitol Hill interns who were overwhelmingly white

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

House speaker Paul Ryan was lambasted on Twitter on Sunday after posting what he thought was a harmless selfie with some of Capitol Hill’s interns.

The caption on the Instagram post read: “I think this sets a record for the most number of #CapitolHill interns in a single selfie. #SpeakerSelfie.”

What he failed to recognize was the overwhelming lack of diversity in the picture, symbolic of the overall lack of diversity among staffers in America’s capital.

I think this sets a record for the most number of #CapitolHill interns in a single selfie. #SpeakerSelfie. A photo posted by Speaker Paul Ryan (@speakerryan) on Jul 16, 2016 at 11:12am PDT

The picture racked up more than 5,000 comments on Instagram, far more than any of Ryan’s other photos.

Brad Bosler (@bboz76) Hmm, what's wrong with this picture? #internssowhite pic.twitter.com/rkhFMTju14

David Mack (@davidmackau) This was a tough one. Took me a while. Still can't find Wizard Whitebeard though. pic.twitter.com/A9oiGmMSOD

Some users used the hashtag #GOPSoWhite – a play on the #OscarsSoWhite – but RJ Khalaf, an intern for Democratic congressman Andre Carsonn, told USA Today the photo included interns from both parties.

The event was a speech for the Congressional Summer Intern Lecture series and students were selected by a lottery, Khalaf added.

Eric Clapp (@eric_clapp) This is what @SpeakerRyan looks like when he's totally blind to why his party is so out of touch. #GOPsowhite pic.twitter.com/841ePtUy2q

Awesomely Luvvie (@Luvvie) That picture of Paul Ryan with the GOP interns is so white that I had to put on sunglasses to look directly at it. #GOPSoWhite

There have been attempts to make Washington more diverse including the Student Internship Program that partners with Black and Latino caucuses. Last year, two Alabama members of Congress established a bipartisan bill to build partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Democratic congresswoman Alma Adams, one of the bills co-sponsors, said the picture was representative of the current situation.

“They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, but based on this photo, only three come to mind: lack of diversity,’’ she said. “We know that diversity needs to be improved in workplaces like Capitol Hill just based upon our observations alone or this selfie taken by the Speaker Ryan.”

People of color are still largely absent from the legislative branches. According to a study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in December, people of color make up 35% of the US public and only 7.1% of all senior-level Senate staff.