Rep. Hakeem Jeffries Elected First Black House Democratic Leader

House Democrats chose caucus chair Hakeem Jeffries of New York to succeed Nancy Pelosi as leader of the Democrats in the chamber next year.

via: BET

In an historic move, House Democrats on Wednesday (Nov. 30) elected New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as their leader to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi who is stepping down as House Speaker, making Jeffries the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress.

CBS News reports that Jeffries, 52, ascended to the party’s leadership post in a unanimous vote. When Congress convenes on Jan. 3, the Brooklyn lawmaker will become minority leader in the House, which the Republicans will control after winning a narrow majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

“Another barrier to equal representation has come down. Next year, Democrats will enter the House Chamber led by a Black representative for the first time,” Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), said in a statement.

“This has been a long overdue moment in America – more than 150 years after Joseph Rainey became the first Black American to serve in the House. I think today of one of my mentors, Brooklyn’s own Shirley Chisholm, who over 50 years ago became the first Black woman elected to the House. She fought to make sure Black voices didn’t only have a seat at the table – but that America listened when they spoke.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.

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