WOC in Blockchain Briefing
One of two dozen delegates at the Women of Color in Blockchain Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill, sharing our stories with Senate staff so they are reflected in upcoming crypto market structure legislation.
- Role
- Delegate
- Focus
- Policy · Advocacy · Crypto regulation
- Date
- December 2025
- Organizer
- Cleve Mesidor, Blockchain Foundation
The briefing
Now in its sixth year, the Women of Color in Blockchain Congressional Briefing is organized by Cleve Mesidor, a longtime Washington policy veteran and executive director of the Blockchain Foundation. Each year, it brings women from across the crypto industry to Capitol Hill so that the people building the industry are heard by the people writing its rules.
A week before arriving, delegates were briefed on Washington etiquette, from professional dress to reading the room. I’m grateful for the invitation and am already seeing the value of being present.
On the Hill
We arrived on one of the busiest days of the session for congressional hearings. Every so often, a faint buzzer sounded to signal a vote. The marble halls were full of staffers following their legislators, taking notes on their phones, with multi-card badges clipped to suits and winter coats.
Throughout the day, staffers moved in and out of our Senate briefing room, exchanging cards with delegates and asking to hear our stories. Our goal was to make sure the perspectives of women of color in crypto are reflected in the upcoming Senate bill on market structure.
An update from the SEC
Midday, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce joined our briefing room to share the latest on rules and regulations for crypto companies. Her message: favorable treatment for crypto companies is a top priority, as long as those companies follow the rules.
She outlined a planned “innovation exemption” that would allow companies to experiment with crypto under SEC guardrails, and encouraged blockchain companies to submit letters to the SEC to be considered for it.
Harness the power, but don’t do it alone.”
What it taught me
Being in the room matters. Policy is shaped by the stories lawmakers and their staff hear, and showing up in person, alongside women from every corner of the crypto industry, is how those stories get told. The connections from a single day are already creating value.
On the flight home, I texted one of my new contacts: “Get ready for the crypto story you haven’t heard before.”