The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC), formally known as the Black Elected Democrats of Ohio, is an American
political
Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...
organization
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
now composed of
African Americans
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
elected to the
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...
. The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus is the oldest legislative black caucus in the nation.
Purpose
The purpose for establishing OLBC was to recognize and address the hopes, aspirations and needs of African Americans in Ohio. The organization continues to help ensure equality for all citizens by promoting, fostering and sponsoring educational, civic and political initiatives. Its primary focus is public policy advocacy and development, as well as, significant involvement in state and national electoral politics.
History
The first African-American man elected to the
Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate.
The House of Representatives first met in ...
was
George Washington Williams
George Washington Williams (October 16, 1849 – August 2, 1891) was a soldier in the American Civil War and in Mexico before becoming a Baptist minister, politician, lawyer, journalist, and writer on African-American history.
He served in the ...
in 1880, followed by
John Patterson Green's election to the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
in 1892. Unlike in many parts of the United States, African-Americans in the Ohio House of Representatives have had one of the longest-running presences in any state legislature in the United States, being present in the House in every decade with a few interruptions since 1880; the
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...
has had the longest uninterrupted streak of African-American members since 1882.
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus was founded in 1967 by African American state legislators under the leadership of State Representative
C.J. McLin of
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
. At that time, the organization was known as BEDO (Black Elected Democrats of Ohio). Along with McLin, Rep.
William Mallory
William Mallory (died 1646) of Studley Royal, Yorkshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1614 and 1642. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War. His father, John Mallory (died 1619), wa ...
, Rep.
Bill Bowen
William F. Bowen (January 29, 1929 – April 22, 1999) was a member of the Ohio Senate, serving from 1970–1994, and a member of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission Hall of Fame. He also served in the Ohio House of Representatives
The Ohio House ...
, Rep.
Phale Hale, Rep.
Thomas Hill, Sen.
Morris Jackson, Rep.
Troy Lee James
Troy Lee James (April 18, 1924 – November 1, 2007) was a Democratic politician who formerly served in the Ohio House of Representatives. A former laborer and union leader, James initially ran for the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966, foll ...
, and Rep.
Larry Smith also helped establish the organization. The organization's structure and purpose was subsequently duplicated in at least 32 other states in the following years.
Since its establishment, the OLBC has been joined by African-American women, starting with
Helen Rankin in 1978 in the House and
Rhine McLin
Rhine Lana McLin (born October 1948) is an American Democratic politician from Ohio who served as the 54th mayor of Dayton, Ohio from 2002 to 2010. McLin previously served as a member of both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly.
Education
M ...
in 1994 in the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
.
Mission and vision
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus seeks to promote, foster, and sponsor education, civic, and political activities that enrich and improve African American communities across the state of Ohio through the efforts of the members of Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. This is further accomplished through active legislation in the statehouse and community partnerships with other elected officials and constituents in and around the districts we represent.
Over the past 50 years, the members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus have been on the front-lines, fully committed to fighting for issues important to African Americans in Ohio. The caucus is dedicated to reforming the criminal justice system, ensuring the fundamental right to vote is not infringed upon, securing a fair playing field for African Americans seeking good-paying jobs, addressing health disparities, combating poverty, and strengthening the education system to help ensure a bright future for the next generation of African American/ black leaders here in Ohio. Furthermore, we strive to always be a voice and conscious in the legislature not just for Black Ohioans but all minorities in Ohio, while cultivating a culture that will create strong leadership in the black community and all Ohio in the years to come.
Current membership
List of officers:
Non-officer members
*Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader
Emilia Sykes
Emilia Strong Sykes (born January 4, 1986) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for Ohio's 13th congressional district. She formerly represented the 34th district of the Ohio House of Representatives, which consists of portions ...
(D-Dayton)
*Ohio House of Representatives Minority Whip
Paula Hicks-Hudson
Paula S. Hicks-Hudson (born May 28, 1951) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She is the former Mayor of Toledo, Ohio.
Early life and education
Hicks-Hudson was born in Hamilton, Ohio ...
(D-Toledo)
*Ohio House of Representatives Caucus Chairman
Phil Robinson (D-
Solon
Solon ( grc-gre, Σόλων; BC) was an Athenian statesman, constitutional lawmaker and poet. He is remembered particularly for his efforts to legislate against political, economic and moral decline in Archaic Athens.Aristotle ''Politics'' ...
)
*Ohio State Senate Assistant Minority Leader
Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati)
*Ohio State Senate Assistant Minority Whip
Tina Maharath
Tina Maharath ( lo, ຕີນາ ມະຫາລາດ) (born November 30, 1990) is an American politician currently serving as an Ohio State Senator from the 3rd District. She also serves in the Senate Democrats leadership team as Minority Whip.
...
(D-Columbus)
*Ohio State Rep.
Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton)
*Ohio State Rep.
Janine Boyd
Janine Boyd (born February 5, 1971) is an American politician who served as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives for the 9th district from 2015 to 2022. She resigned from her House seat in April 2022 to take a position in the United State ...
(D-Cleveland Heights)
*Ohio State Rep.
Erica Crawley (D-Columbus)
*Ohio State Rep.
Tavia Galonski (D-Akron)
*Ohio State Rep.
Stephanie Howse
Stephanie D. Howse (born August 21, 1979) is an American politician serving as a member of the Cleveland City Council from the 7th ward. She was previously a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2015 to 2022.
Early life and educatio ...
(D-Cleveland)
*Ohio State Rep.
Dontavius Jarrells (D-Colubmus)
*Ohio State Sen.
Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland)
References
www.ohiolegislativeblackcaucus.org
External links
Ohio Legislative Black Caucus websiteOhio Legislative Black Caucus Foundation website{{African-American politics
Ohio General Assembly
State Legislative Black Caucuses
1967 establishments in Ohio