We’ve come a long way from the days when the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) was founded 48 years ago. Back in 1971, 13 black members of Congress came together to found the organization. The CBC now has 55 members. It is shocking that it has taken close to 50 years to achieve those numbers. While this expansion should be cause for celebration by all Democrats, we should also be aware of the barriers black elected officials continue to face.
Black Americans are currently one of the Democratic Party’s key voting blocs. For far too long we have rarely had the opportunity to vote for black elected national leadership, except in artfully crafted gerrymandered areas. We have loyally given our votes to white candidates, and in greater percentages than any other racial or gender demographic. However, it is important that white Democrats don’t take us for granted, and even more important that we black voters see black elected officials gain positions of authority within the party and in Congress.
The mainstream media and many progressive political blogs still tend to underreport (or not report at all) news generated by CBC members. The major Democratic electoral victories of 2018 which gave Democrats control of the Congress propelled black Congress members into committee and subcommittee chairs. They were also elected or appointed into leadership positions within the party, and I am hopeful this ‘blackout’ of coverage is going to change.
When I say “hopeful,” it doesn’t mean I’m going to take it as a given.
So to kick off the new year and 116th session of Congress, I’ve written both an introduction to and a history of the CBC and its members, past and present.
The 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Standing L-R: Parren Mitchell, Charles Rangel, Bill Clay, Ron Dellums, George W. Collins, Louis Stokes, Ralph Metcalfe, John Conyers, and Walter Fauntroy. Seated L-R: Robert N.C. Nix, Sr., Charles Diggs, Shirley Chisholm, and Augustus F. Hawkins.
The History:
During the late 1960s, Rep. Charles Diggs (D-Mich.) created the Democracy Select Committee (DSC) in an effort to bring black members of Congress together. Diggs noticed that he and other African-American members of Congress often felt isolated because there were very few of them in Congress and wanted to create a forum where they could discuss common political challenges and interests.“The sooner we get organized for group action, the more effective we can become,” Diggs said.
The DSC was an informal group that held irregular meetings and had no independent staff or budget but that changed a few years later. As a result of court-ordered redistricting, one of several victories of the Civil Rights Movement, the number of African-American members of Congress rose from nine to 13, the largest ever at the time, and members of the DSC decided at the beginning of the 92nd Congress (1971-1973) that a more formal group was needed. “The thrust of our elections was that many black people around America who had formerly been unrepresented, now felt that the nine black members of the House owed them the obligation of also affording them representation in the House,” Rep. Louis Stokes (D-Ohio) said. “In addition to representing our individual districts, we had to assume the onerous burden of acting as congressman-at-large for unrepresented people around America.”
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) was established in 1971 by 13 founding members.
In 1977, 15 of the Congressional Black Caucus members posed on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, from left to right: (front row) Barbara Jordan of Texas, Robert Nix, Sr., of Pennsylvania, Ralph Metcalfe of Illinois, Cardiss Collins of Illinois, Parren Mitchell of Maryland, Gus Hawkins of California, Shirley Chisholm of New York; (middle row) John Conyers, Jr., of Michigan, Charles Rangel of New York, Harold Ford, Sr., of Tennessee, Yvonne Brathwaite Burke of California, Walter Fauntroy of the District of Columbia; (back row) Ronald Dellums of California, Louis Stokes of Ohio, and Charles C. Diggs, Jr., of Michigan.
Shortly after the CBC was established, its battle with President Nixon began. After President Nixon refused to meet with the group, the CBC decided to boycott the 1971 State of the Union Address, which made national headlines. “We now refuse to be part of your audience,” Rep. William Lacy Clay, Sr. (D-Mo.) wrote to President Nixon on behalf of the caucus, explaining that President Nixon’s refusal to meet with the caucus was evidence that the Administration wasn’t interested in helping the African American community.
The CBC’s decision to fight its battle with President Nixon publicly worked in the caucus’ favor and became a strategy the CBC would return to again and again. President Nixon eventually agreed to a March 1971 meeting with the caucus. During the meeting, the CBC presented President Nixon with 61 recommendations to eradicate racism, provide quality housing for African-American families, and promote the full engagement of African-Americans in government. “Our people are no longer asking for equality as a rhetorical promise,” Diggs said. “They are demanding from the national Administration, and from elected officials without regard to party affiliation, the only kind of equality that ultimately has any real meaning—equality of results.”
Press coverage of the meeting and the events leading up to it introduced the CBC to the nation. A few years later, in 1973, the CBC would be among the first members of Congress to call for President Nixon’s impeachment.
Most people of a certain age will never forget CBC member Rep. Barbara Jordan of Texas’ role in Richard Nixon’s impeachment.
Once again we are faced with a president who is working against the American people, and an expanded Congressional Black Caucus, now 55 members strong, will be at the forefront of the battle to address and redress the situation we are facing. They have been dubbed “the Conscience of the Congress,” and we will need their strength and leadership in the days and months ahead.
Their ceremonial swearing in ceremony hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (program begins at 4:30 on the tape) was emceed by Angela Rye, and opened with a video of Common and John Legend’s song Glory. After all the CBC members assembled on stage, everyone stood for the singing of the black national anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing.
I was pretty annoyed that the white mainstream media virtually ignored this event. The print coverage I read came from Essence and The Root, and I got to watch the ceremonial swearing in events via a livestream (thank you, Roland Martin).
From Essence:
Historic Number Of Women, African Americans Sworn In To 116th Congress:
The atmosphere was jubilant: prayer, musical selections (singer/songwriter Victory Boyd brought the house down) and class photos were taken. Onstage, veteran African American legislators such as Reps. Maxine Walters (D-CA) and John Lewis (D-GA), joined new Freshmen class colleagues. The group included Black women such as Lauren Underwood (D-IL), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jahana Hayes (D-CT), and Lucy McBath (D-GA). All garnered rousing applause.
Still, the mood was tempered by current political realities, namely, the partial shutdown of the federal government as president Donald Trump pushes Congress to secure funding for a border wall. And amid other pressing issues–gun violence, economic disparities, rising hate crimes, health care, education and more—lawmakers said it’s an important time to serve in Congress. “The truth is—we are right in the middle of one of those historical moments where there is a concerted, a deliberate attempt to erase—to reverse policies victories not just from the Obama years, but policy victories won over the last seven decades,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), the new chair of the CBC, who succeeds Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA).“… The reaction by some has essentially unleashed a dragon. …The dragon is hate—the dragon is White supremacy—and they have a leader. In the past, people would have been embarrassed to be associated with White supremacy, but today some have moved from embarrassed to emboldened.”
...
Indeed, Black legislators will hold more power and influence on Capitol Hill than ever before. The CBC now boasts 55 lawmakers–nine newly elected–the largest number ever to serve in Congress since the Caucus was founded in 1971. The nation has three Black U.S. Senators: Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC)— all of whom recently worked on legislation that made lynching a federal crime. In the CBC, there’s not only Bass leading the group, but Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) will serve as Vice Chair and 2nd Vice Chair, respectively.
Moreover, African American lawmakers have assumed party leadership roles. They include Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC) who is Majority Whip of the Democratic Caucus, the number three leadership position. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is chair of the Caucus, the number five spot. Reps. Jackson Lee and Terri Sewell (D-AL) will both serve as Chief Deputy Whips, while Barbara Lee (D-CA) co-chairs the Steering and Policy Committee. There are also five African American members of Congress serving as full committee chairpersons. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) will head the committee on Oversight and Government Reform, while Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) will chair the Science, Space and Technology Committee. Maxine Waters (D-CA) will head Financial Services; Bobby Scott (D-VA) will chair Education and Labor; and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) will chair the committee on Homeland Security. Additionally, 28 members of the CBC will chair key subcommittees.
The Root’s coverage made me grin.
From 'Big Daddy' Clyburn to Wakanda Salutes: The Biggest, Baddest Congressional Black Caucus Has Arrived
Nobody knows what to call them yet.
For years it was just the Congressional Black Caucus, or the CBC. In the 1980s they were nicknamed the Conscience of the Congress. Several years ago contributor to The Root, Lauren Victoria Burke, launched a blog calling them Crew of 42. Of course that name didn’t fit for long as the largest collection of black political figures in America continued to grow with every subsequent election. Now, the CBC is swole, with 55 total members, including: two senators, 9 freshmen, the Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and five House committee chairs. Are they the Divine 55? The 55th Lower Chamber? When it’s time to block Trump policies do we chant “I got fifty-FIVE on it?” No matter what they’re called the new Congressional Black Caucus is the tip of the spear in the resistance to Trump and he is not ready.
For years it was just the Congressional Black Caucus, or the CBC. In the 1980s they were nicknamed the Conscience of the Congress. Several years ago contributor to The Root, Lauren Victoria Burke, launched a blog calling them Crew of 42. Of course that name didn’t fit for long as the largest collection of black political figures in America continued to grow with every subsequent election. Now, the CBC is swole, with 55 total members, including: two senators, 9 freshmen, the Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and five House committee chairs. Are they the Divine 55? The 55th Lower Chamber? When it’s time to block Trump policies do we chant “I got fifty-FIVE on it?” No matter what they’re called the new Congressional Black Caucus is the tip of the spear in the resistance to Trump and he is not ready.
Leading that new crew will be Rep. Karen Bass of California. I stood up and applauded her when I heard this:
Her remarks:
I am especially honored to take on this responsibility at this particular moment in our nation’s history. This year marks the 400th anniversary when our ancestors arrived on this land. Some came here as free men and women, most were enslaved, and many of those who were free were later captured and forced into slavery. Our ancestors built the U.S. Capitol, they built the White House, and many of the historic buildings around DC. Sadly, it took over 200 of years to formally acknowledge their work. Rep John Lewis spent 10 years documenting their contribution to building the nation’s capital. It took over 100 years to build a museum that acknowledges the contributions African Americans have made to our nation’s development. And make no mistake - the wealth and advancement of our nation is because of 200 years of free labor from our ancestors.
For 100 years after the period of enslavement, US laws allowed Black Codes and other methods to arrest African Americans and enslave them again. US law did not prohibit mass murders or lynching to intimate us from objecting to our oppression. US law allowed for segregation, calling it Jim Crow, calling it separate and unequal. I call it US apartheid. At each juncture there were mass protest and movements that overturned or created laws to protect the African American population, including the Civil Rights movement that ended US Apartheid. Some of our senior CBC members led that movement: Rep Lewis, Holmes Norton, Jim Clyburn, Bennie Thompson and others.
I mention this history because the African American experience is characterized by horrific oppression but also amazing resilience. We organize, we struggle, we thrive, we win change in public policy in spite of opposition. And sometimes the very policies we win are attacked and attempts are made to move us backwards.
But each time there is a set back after a period of advancement, we fight back and we win and when we win, we move the needle even further forward. In spite of gerrymandering and voter suppression Stacy Abrams and Andrew Gilliam were both nominated for Governor of TWO Southern States… Who would have imagined? When they push us back, we find a way out of no way, so says Congressman John Lewis.
But many times throughout our history, the accomplishments of our folks are not recognized, not known, or others receive the credit---until the movie Hidden Figures how many of us knew about the African American female mathematicians who helped figure out how to launch the first man into space? The CBC has its own Hidden Figures. You might know them as individual Congressmembers but because it is not their practice to promote their accomplishments. Their incredible contributions have been hidden in legislation that others are credited with leading and securing passage.
For example, since the founding of the CBC 48 years ago, CBC members passed legislation that led to the creation of thousands of Black-owned businesses by making sure we had access to federal contracts. CBC members contributed to the downfall of the Apartheid regime in South Africa by forcing the US to sanction that government---CBC members led the FIRST effort to provide federal support for community clinics. During the Affordable Care Act debate CBC members pushed for resources to address health disparities in communities of color. Just two weeks ago CBC members put $50 millions in the Farm Bill for financial aid for students attending HBCU’s. CBC members are the reason the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exist and just days ago criminal justice and juvenile justice reform legislation was signed into law—ALL major pieces of legislation led by the Hidden Figures of the Congressional Black Caucus.
But then 10 years ago this month, we watched one of our own, a fellow CBC member took the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States. And even though there was a concerted effort to make him fail, his Presidency succeeded. His Presidency was without a blemish. After 8 years, no scandals, no investigations, no indictments. Can you imagine? This guy had all of that in his first two months! No surprise, he is obsessed with erasing Obama from history.
The truth is, we are right in the middle of one of those historical moments where there is a concerted, a deliberate, attempt to erase and to reverse policy victories, not just from the Obama years, but policy victories won over the last seven decades! The very idea of Barack Obama’s presidency brought to the surface a reality that should be celebrated in our country. America is becoming more diverse and this diversity is leading to the browning of our nation.
Instead of a celebration, the reaction by some has essentially unleashed a dragon - a dragon that is gasping its last breath and so he is dangerous as he lashes out. The dragon is hate. The dragon is white supremacy. And they have a leader. In the past, people would have been embarrassed to be associated with white supremacy but today, some would have moved from embarrassed to emboldened.
However, at this moment in history there is a fundamental difference: we will have tremendous power and influence. At this moment in history we are equipped like never before to lead, we are equipped to govern, and we are equipped to resist when and where it’s needed. We are equipped to lead with a vision for our country that not only lifts up our community, but lifts up the nation as a whole. When the 116th Congress is officially sworn in, there will be 55 members of the Congressional Black Caucus. This is the largest number of African-Americans to ever to serve in Congress. Two of our members, Cory Booker and Kamala Harris serve in the US Senate. They just passed legislation that made lynching a federal crime. We are proud they led the effort but we are shocked they actually needed to.
In the House of Representatives, CBC members have more power and influence than any time in history. The number three position in leadership and the highest ranking African American in the House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, Chairman of the Democratic Caucus Hakeem Jefferies, and Co-Chairwoman of Steering and Policy Barbara Lee.
I want everyone to think of this moment a few months from now. Just watch and see what happens when the gavels are placed in these hands. Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chair - Eddie Bernice Johnson. News Flash-- She believes in Science! Please stand Madame Chair. Oversight and Government Reform Chair – Elijah Cummings. For an Administration that has had NO oversight, look out! I hear a tweet storm brewing. Financial Services Chair - Maxine Waters. Someone’s financial records just might come to light. Education and Labor Chair - Bobby Scott. Public education will not be sold to the highest bidder. Homeland Security Chair - Bennie Thompson. This is the largest federal agency in the US Government. I think we’re going to find out who is making all the money off the fake border crisis.
Five members of the CBC will chair five critically important committees, will the big five please stand again? We will watch them bring the CBC tradition, the Conscious of the Congress, into each one of their committees. Give them a hand!
And there is more power in this body. 28 members of the CBC will chair important subcommittees. Will the 28 chairs please stand? And for the first time, we have the largest number of new CBC members in many years. 9 CBC members in the Freshman Class!
For the first time in 241 years of US history, African American members of Congress will have tremendous influence in setting the direction of the country. While we work hard inside of government as legislators, our efforts to hold back the attacks and lead in a positive direction will be bolstered by a new and expanded grassroots movement developed in response to the efforts to dismantle progressive policies including civil rights legislation, dismantle protections designed to keep our air, water, and food safe to name just a few.
This movement has expanded involvement in the democratic process and the CBC in the 116th Congress will play a role both inside and outside of Congress protecting the most basic right to vote and participate in our democracy. When this time period is over we must make sure we not only prevented any movement backwards, but we strengthened and consolidated our gains. We moved the needle forward and expanded participation in the democratic process in an effort to ensure hateful leadership never assumes power again.
Colleagues it is wonderful to be humble, to just focus on the work and not promote what has been accomplished. But part of making sure our folks stay strong and have hope and energy to keep up the fight to get through this tragic period in our history is letting everyone know specifically about the work, about the accomplishments of the 55 people on this stage. We admonish our youth for not voting but it on us to show them what can be accomplished when they do participate. We have to give them hope to see that things can change, so they can lead their generation in continuing the effort to make this country into a more perfect union.
The Conscience of the Congress--the Congressional Black Caucus in the 116th Congress will fight fiercely against hate, will not retreat and allow our past victories to be erased—the CBC in the 116th Congress will exercise every ounce of our power and influence to continue the fight for justice---Now let’s get ready for the course correction!
Thank you!
Incoming chair Bass has not had a high media profile outside of her home state.
Part of her bio:
Prior to serving in Congress, Congressmember Bass made history when the California Assembly elected her to be its 67th Speaker, catapulting her to become the first African American woman in U.S. history to serve in this powerful state legislative role. Congressmember Bass served as speaker during California’s greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression. In addition to helping to navigate the state through a very difficult time, she also championed efforts to improve foster care and quality healthcare for Californians. Also, under her leadership the Assembly fast-tracked federal economic stimulus legislation that aided Californians who have been affected by the national economic crisis as well as jumpstarted billions of dollars of infrastructure projects.
Before serving as an elected official, Congressmember Bass became interested in community activism as a child watching the Civil Rights Movement with her father. It was at that time that she made a lifetime commitment to effecting social change in her community and abroad. She worked for nearly a decade as a Physician Assistant and served as a clinical instructor at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program.
In 1990, in response to the crisis that was gripping inner-city America, which in Los Angeles was crack-cocaine and gang violence, Congressmember Bass started and ran the Community Coalition, a community-based social justice organization in South Los Angeles that empowers residents to become involved in making a difference. Through her leadership at the Community Coalition, Congressmember Bass worked to address the drug and violence epidemic and to engage community residents in addressing the root causes of injustice.
Congressmember Bass had one daughter, Emilia Bass-Lechuga and son-in-law Michael Wright. She continues to be inspired by Emilia and Michael’s passion for life. Emilia planned to follow in her mother’s footsteps working for social change. Congressmember Bass also has four step children.
She grew up with three brothers in the Venice/Fairfax area of Los Angeles and is the only daughter of DeWitt and Wilhelmina Bass. She graduated from Hamilton High School, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and the University of Southern California’s School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program.
The Christian Science Monitor recently published this interview with her.
She went toe to toe with Schwarzenegger. Now Karen Bass is ready to take on Trump:
As Democrats prepare to take over the House, the spotlight has been on Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi of California. Yet standing in the wings are a number of rising stars – some of whom are already being mentioned as potential speakers down the road.
One of them is Rep. Karen Bass, from Los Angeles. Back in 2008, as California was facing the Great Recession and a state budget crisis, she became the first female African-American speaker of the California Assembly – or any state legislature. Two years later, she was elected to Congress.
Today, Representative Bass is the incoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which is growing in numbers and clout. Of its 55 members, five will chair full committees in the next Congress: government oversight, financial services, homeland security, science and technology, and education and workforce. Another 28 will chair subcommittees. That includes Bass, a former physician’s assistant, who will head the subcommittee on Africa and global health and human rights.
The Monitor recently sat down with Bass, a determined woman who has brown belts in the Korean martial arts and who weathered a personal tragedy when her daughter and son-in-law were killed in an auto accident in 2006. In her eight years in Congress, she has focused particularly on strengthening America’s relationship with Africa and reforming foster care.
She’s also earned respect in behind-the-scenes roles, helping to set policy for the Democratic caucus, recruit candidates, round up votes, and fundraise. A frequent guest on MSNBC and CNN, Politico once quipped that Bass “looks more and more like a Pelosi-in-waiting each day.”
It’s a pretty long piece, but this part of the interview struck a chord with me because of past work I have done with incarcerated women.
Q: You’re on the Judiciary Committee, and that will be ground zero for investigating Trump. If impeachment comes up, it will go through that committee. Pelosi has talked about the need to be “strategic” with investigations. Are you concerned about overreach?
A: I'm actually not concerned about overreach, and it’s because I think both leaders are strategic – and that’s Speaker Pelosi as well as Jerry Nadler, the Judiciary chairman from New York. He’s a constitutional lawyer. I’m not sure where we will start. Unfortunately, this guy gives you new things to do every day.
My agenda on that committee is criminal justice reform from a women and children perspective. I also want to deal with is what is happening with ... children on the border – the family separation.
I’m doing a bipartisan bill on women who are incarcerated and pregnant. We chain and shackle them even during delivery, if you can imagine. Also, their health and nutrition needs.
A couple other things: Nobody visits women in prison; everybody visits men. And so women are separated from their children and a lot of their children wind up in foster care, which is time limited. If you don’t get out of prison in time, you can have parental rights terminated. There’s also not that many women’s facilities, so women tend to be housed much further away from their families.
Women are rarely in prison for violence. If they’re non-violent, why can’t they be in halfway houses that are closer to home?
Several of the senior members of the CBC, like Georgia’s John Lewis of Georgia and California’s Maxine Waters, need no introduction, and they are all listed here.
I want to introduce (or reintroduce) the freshmen/newcomers, post brief bios, and add a few of their recent tweets. They are going through a transition, setting up their official congressional webpages, and changing Twitter accounts. I’ve used bios from their campaign websites. If you use Twitter, please follow them and help amplify their messages.
Colin Allred, Texas
Bio:
Born and raised in North Dallas by a single mom who taught in Texas public schools for nearly 30 years, Colin was an All-Star athlete at Hillcrest High School before earning a full-ride football scholarship to Baylor University. Diploma in hand and prepared to attend law school after college, he deferred his acceptance to the University of California Berkeley School of Law when he signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. Colin played the better part of five seasons in the NFL before sustaining a career-ending neck injury that opened the door for him to fulfill his dream of studying law and applying his legal training to help others.
As Special Assistant in the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of General Counsel, Colin helped then-Secretary Julián Castro ensure that the most vulnerable Americans can live in dignity. Among his projects at HUD, Colin worked with Congress and the Office of the Inspector General to ensure that public funds were spent wisely without sacrificing services and to ensure that the Department complied with all applicable ethics laws and regulations. Here in Texas, he put his legal skills to work as the Dallas-Fort Worth Director of the first-ever statewide coordinated voter protection program led by Battleground Texas during the 2014 gubernatorial election.
Antonio Delgado, New York (My new Rep! Yay!)
Bio:
Born and raised in Schenectady, Antonio is a native of Upstate New York. His parents worked for General Electric and benefited from a better regional economy. They worked hard to pursue the American Dream of building a better future for Antonio and his little brother. Antonio attended Colgate University, in Hamilton, New York, where he graduated with high honors and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford. From there, he went to law school at Harvard, which is where he met his wife Lacey, a native of Woodstock and Kingston.
The values Antonio learned growing up – hard work, discipline, service and character – helped him get a great education, allowed him the opportunity to start his own company, empowering young people to learn through music, and then begin a second career, as an attorney fighting for what’s fair and just…Antonio and his wife Lacey live in Rhinebeck. They have two sons, Maxwell and Coltrane.
Glad to see him stepping up immediately to deal with our water contamination issues.
Jahana Hayes, Connecticut
Bio:
Hayes is a lifelong CT resident. A former social studies teacher at John F. Kennedy High School, she currently serves as the Talent and Professional Development Supervisor for Waterbury Public Schools. Hayes is known for her passion, energy, commitment to community and unifying presence. She has dedicated herself to being of service in the city of Waterbury and traveled the country and the world engaging stakeholders on topics related to education and equity. These experiences have shown her that all people are facing similar challenges, and she welcomes the opportunity to become a more well-rounded advocate for the entire 5th district.
Hayes grew up in the Berkeley Heights housing project in Waterbury and her life was illustrated by the predictable cycle of poverty. Her family struggled with addiction, relied on public assistance, and at one point lost their apartment. Hayes got pregnant as a teenager and all hopes for any upward mobility seemed beyond her grasp. The people in her community and her strong desire for an education propelled her forward. She enrolled in Naugatuck Valley Community College, went on to get her four year degree at Southern Connecticut State University and her masters and advanced degrees from the University of Saint Joseph and University of Bridgeport, all while working to support her young family. “It is these experiences that compel me to invest so deeply in my community, because I have been the beneficiary of so much undeserved grace. We can do whatever it is we set our minds to, as long as we work hard and work together” says Hayes.
BTW, in case you never saw her campaign video, she tells her story:
Steven Horsford, Nevada (Horsford is newly elected, but served in Congress once before)
Bio:
Steven understands the challenges many families in Nevada’s Fourth face each and everyday. He will fight for responsible gun control and background checks because he lost his father when he was 19 and empathizes with those who have experienced the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. Like others in Nevada’s 4th, he understands the overcoming challenges. He will work tirelessly to end the school to prison pipeline and provide the safety net children and families need to succeed. Serving together, Steven and his wife Sonya, have worked to strengthen children, families and communities because they know - family matters.
For more than a decade, Steven led the Culinary Academy and Nevada Partners, the largest job training program in Nevada, helping thousands of workers find good jobs and quality careers in hospitality, healthcare and technology. A unique partnership between labor and business, the Culinary Academy under Steven’s leadership placed 80 percent of graduates into good paying jobs, including thousands of unemployed, laid off and underemployed Nevadans, even in the darkest days of the recession.
Steven made history as Nevada’s first African American State Senate Majority Leader and he delivered. Steven took on big polluters to pass the "Clean Energy Jobs Initiative" and make Nevada a leader in renewable energy. When Nevada’s economy was devastated during the recession, Steven worked across party lines to solve the worst budget crisis in state history.
While representing Nevadans in our nation's capital, Steven worked to ensure veterans, seniors citizens, and all Nevadans received the benefits they deserved, authored and passed the Nevada Lands Bill to create jobs across the state, and fought to protect a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.
Now Steven runs his own small business, learning first hand the challenges small business owners face. Steven continued to focus on creating job training opportunities for workers and underserved communities. A devoted family man, Steven has built a strong family with his wife, Sonya Horsford, and their three children.
Lucy McBath, Georgia
Bio:
Lucia “Lucy” McBath is a mother, wife, businesswoman and activist for social justice. After a 30-year career with Delta Air Lines, her second career has focused on reform that will make our communities safer and better for every American of every background. Lucy’s passion for public service was awakened by her family’s tragedy in 2012. She is the mother of Jordan Davis, who was shot and killed at a gas station in Jacksonville, Fla. that year by a man objecting to the music he was playing in his car. The shooter used Florida’s stand-your-ground law as his defense. He was not found guilty of murder in his first trial. In an October 2014 retrial, the shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Losing her son in such a senseless way has fueled her lifelong commitment to community activism and the importance of political engagement. Early on, McBath’s sense of public service came from an extensive family background involving civil rights. Her father was the Illinois Branch president of the NAACP for over twenty years and served on its national board as well. As a child, she traveled with her family attending marches and rallies supporting the civil rights movement and the coalitions of organizations fighting alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Her mother was a registered nurse, often helping students completing coursework with tutoring and other support to further their healthcare careers.
Before running for Congress, Lucy held dual roles as the national spokesperson for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, as well as Faith and Outreach Leader for both. Her work included testifying in state capitols and speaking with lawmakers, activists, universities and community organizers across the county. In Washington, D.C. she has testified before the US Senate Judiciary Committee, lobbied members of Congress, and spoke at the White House Summit on Educational Excellence for African Americans. She served as a surrogate for the Hillary Clinton for President campaign in 2016 as one of the “Mothers of The Movement”. Here at home, McBath lobbies Georgia’s Congressional, State House and State Senate delegations to enact common sense gun violence prevention laws that save lives.
Lucy’s work in her home community in Cobb County includes creating the “Champion in The Making Legacy Foundation” which provides charitable and educational assistance to graduating high school students attending traditional as well as technical and training colleges and universities – with two recipients attending Kennesaw State University. The foundation has expanded its program with its mentorship program which provides support and guidance in building life skills for the young men and women striving for academic success, with an incubator headquartered in Powder Springs. She serves as Lead Usher at Trinity Chapel (Seven Springs Church) and is an active member with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Marietta / Roswell alumni chapter.
Joe Neguse, Colorado
Bio:
As a 34-year-old son of refugees from Africa, Joe is not your typical candidate for Congress. But his family’s story, and deeply held belief that we need people from all walks of life to speak up and engage in our democracy, has motivated him to run for Congress and fight for Colorado values in Washington D.C.
Over 35 years ago, Joe’s parents fled Eritrea, a war-torn country in East-Africa, and immigrated to the United States as refugees, eventually settling in Colorado, where he and his sister were raised. As hardworking immigrants and naturalized citizens, Joe’s parents never forgot nor took for granted the freedom and opportunities the United States gave them and their children. Their experience motivated Joe to be an active participant in our democracy at an early age, and to give back through public service.
First, after graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder summa cum laude and working for the then-Speaker of the Colorado House of Representatives, Andrew Romanoff, Joe co-founded New Era Colorado, the state’s largest youth voter registration and mobilization non-profit in Colorado. The organization, which has been featured in the New York Times and Time Magazine, has since registered over 150,000 young people to vote across the state, secured successful passage of progressive legislation at the state level (including online voter registration and 16/17 year-old voter preregistration), and has led the fight locally against climate change.
Later, while still in law school at CU, Joe was elected in 2008 by the voters of the 2nd Congressional District to serve on the CU Board of Regents, becoming only the second African-American to be elected Regent in Colorado’s history. Joe served a six-year term on the Board (which oversees the CU-System, the fourth largest employer in the state with an operating budget of $3.4 billion), including two-years as Chair of the Audit Committee. As a Regent, Joe fought to make higher education more affordable and accessible and to build consensus on tough issues, sponsoring several resolutions that received bi-partisan and unanimous support, including efforts to lower student health insurance costs and make voter registration more accessible to students, as well as working to increase wages for the University’s lowest-paid workers.
Then, following his term as a Regent, Joe was appointed at the age of 31 to lead the state’s consumer protection agency, making him one of the youngest people to serve in a state-Cabinet across the country. He led the department—an agency with roughly 600 employees and a $90 million budget—for two years, leading the fight to expand economic opportunities by protecting the civil rights of every Coloradan and strengthening consumer protections and safeguards. During his tenure the agency achieved key victories, including the recovery of millions of dollars for consumers, investigations culminating in significant financial-fraud cases, the championing of legislation to combat financial fraud against seniors, and launch of the state’s first online filing system for civil rights discrimination complaints. In recognition of his work to expand the agency’s consumer protection mission, Joe was awarded the 2017 “Consumer Protection Award” by the international Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation.
Ilhan Omar, Minnesota
Bio:
Born in Somalia, Ilhan and her family fled the country's civil war when she was eight-years-old. They lived in a refugee camp in Kenya for four years before coming to the United States, eventually settling in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis in 1997.
Ilhan’s interest in politics began at the age of 14 when she was as an interpreter for her grandfather at local DFL caucuses. Watching neighbors come together to advocate for change at the grassroots level made Ilhan fall in love with the democratic process.
As a student at Edison High School in Minneapolis, she became an organizer and has been a coalition builder ever since. She worked as a community educator at the University of Minnesota and has been a devoted progressive activist in the DFL party for many years. Before running for office, Ilhan was a Humphrey Policy Fellow and served as a senior Policy Aide for a Minneapolis City Council Member. Through advocacy work with which she’s been involved, she’s advanced important issues, including support for working families, educational access, environmental protection, and racial equity.
In 2016, Ilhan became the first Somali-American, Muslim legislator in the United States. With the help of her committed campaign team, they increased voter turnout by 37%. She was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 60B, where she’s lived for the past 20 years and where she and her husband Ahmed are raising their three children.
Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts
Bio:
Ayanna Pressley is an advocate, a policy-maker, an activist, and survivor. Her election to the Boston City Council in 2009 marked the first time a woman of color was elected to the Council in its 100-year history. This laid the foundation for Ayanna’s groundbreaking work, with which she has consistently strived to improve the lives of people that have too often been left behind...
Raised in Chicago as the only child of an activist mother who instilled in her the value of civic participation, Ayanna understands the role that government should play in helping to lift up communities that are in need of the most help. After her election to the Council in 2009, she successfully pursued the establishment of the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. The Committee addresses causes that Ayanna has always been most devoted to: stabilizing families and communities, reducing and preventing violence and trauma, combating poverty, and addressing issues that disproportionately impact women and girls…
Ayanna’s legislative achievements resulted in her being the top vote-getter in three consecutive elections, making her the first woman in 30 years to achieve this distinction and the first person of color to top the ticket.
Prior to being elected to the Boston City Council, Ayanna worked as a Senior Aide for Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II and later Senator John Kerry.
In 2016, Ayanna was named one of The New York Times 14 Young Democrats to Watch. In 2015, she earned the EMILY’s List Rising Star Award and was named one of Boston Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful People. In 2014, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named her as one of their Ten Outstanding Young Leaders, and the Victim Rights Law Center presented her with their Leadership Award. She is also an Aspen-Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Class of 2012.
Ayanna lives in the Ashmont/Adams neighborhood of Dorchester with her husband Conan Harris, nine-year-old stepdaughter Cora, and cat Sojourner Truth.
Lauren Underwood, Illinois
Bio:
Lauren Underwood grew up in Naperville, Illinois where she earned her first Girl Scout badge and attended Neuqua Valley High School. On her first day in Girl Scouts, Lauren made the pledge “to help people at all times.” Those early lessons in leadership formed a foundation of service that continues to guide her now as she looks to serve in a different way, representing Illinois’ 14th District in Congress.
Today, Lauren Underwood is a registered nurse, with hands-on experience in America’s healthcare industry. Lauren was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). During her time in the administration, Lauren helped communities across the country prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters, bioterror threats and public health emergencies. As a career public servant at HHS, Lauren helped implement the Affordable Care Act — broadening access for those on Medicare, improving healthcare quality and reforming private insurance.
During a swimming lesson when she was 8 years old, Lauren discovered that she had a heart condition, supraventricular tachycardia, which occasionally prevents her heart from maintaining a normal rhythm. The providers that helped Lauren through her initial treatment made a lasting impression and inspired her career in nursing. As an American with a pre-existing condition, Lauren also understands the real-life importance of quality, affordable health care for working families and their children.
Lauren will bring her firsthand knowledge to Washington and work to propose measures that will preserve and expand access to healthcare for Illinois families. Most recently, Lauren worked with a Medicaid plan in Chicago to ensure that it provided high-quality, cost-efficient care. Lauren also is a teacher, preparing future nurse practitioners through Georgetown University’s online master’s program.
Lauren is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University.
I suggest that you also follow the Black Caucus.
In 2018 the CBC put out this video titled “We have lost a lot,” which was an answer to Trump:
As a black woman who knows our votes have overwhelmingly gone to Democrats time and time again, I’m glad to see that more of my sisters are now holding office. We have certainly come a long way from the days when Shirley Chisholm was our only black female member of Congress.
Yes. Representation matters.
