WASHINGTON — A historic number of Black Democratic legislators are serving as their state’s top chamber leaders, bringing their experience and expertise to transform and serve their communities. This week, Governing and Pluribus News profiled just a few of these Black leaders, showing why diversity in legislatures is important to ensure Black citizens have a real voice in the political process and shape the direction of our country.
From Governing:
- “‘What we do in Lansing obviously affects everything across the state,’ [Michigan Speaker Joe] Tate says. ‘I bring my perspective and my experience to say here are opportunities to create policies for communities like the one I grew up in.’”
- “It wasn’t so long ago that African Americans were unable to count on being able to cast a vote, let alone get elected or serve as a top leader. Representation matters.”
- “Now, a record number of African Americans not only have a seat at the table, but are sitting at its very head. The ‘visible power’ these leaders now command…signals to Black citizens throughout their states that they have a real voice in the political process.”
- “‘State legislators craft policy that makes the biggest impact on people’s day-to-day lives,’ says Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, ‘which is why it’s so important that we elect leaders whose lived experience truly represents their constituents.’”
From Pluribus News:
- “[Speaker Don Scott’s] experiences inform his priorities in the capital, including safer communities, good-paying jobs, access to abortion, affordable health care and stopping gun violence. Criminal justice reform has also been a focus.”
- “‘I’ve had some very difficult experiences, some very hard life lessons that I learned,’ [Speaker Don] Scott said in an interview. “‘But those life lessons forged the type of tenacity and … the ability to suffer a little bit to get to the goal that you need.”
The DLCC is committed to helping build a stronger, more equitable nation by continuing to transform the landscape of state legislative politics and build new majorities that are truly representative of the communities they serve. Many of our Black leaders are historic “firsts” in their positions and truly represent the needs of their districts. While Republicans’ extreme agenda undermines fundamental rights for Black communities across the country, the DLCC is committed to building an inclusive society that ensures fundamental freedoms for all.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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