Rep. Marcia Fudge on how the group will look out for Americans of all colors over the next four years.
Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio took the chairperson’s gavel from Rep. Emanuel Cleaver at a recent ceremonial swearing-in for members of the Congressional Black Caucus. With it, she inherited the responsibility to lead the group of African-American elected officials that has long considered itself the “conscience of the Congress” on issues that transcend race.
That’s right — the black legislators, many of whom represent diverse districts, are more concerned with the well-being of children, the disabled and anyone who is struggling economically than the public understands. “People mistakenly believe we only represent minorities,” Fudge told The Root.
In her remarks about her plans for the group’s priorities during President Obama’s second term, she said, “The imperative is to define what is right and then do it.” That, she explained when we spoke to her after the ceremony, means advocating for legislation that protects all of America’s most vulnerable citizens.
We asked the new chair about the issues she’d like for the Caucus to work on with President Obama — from gun control to fiscal issues — her take on Tim Scott’s failure to join the group and the advice she’d give to black leaders who are just embarking upon their work to change the country from the halls of Congress.
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article courtesy of TheRoot.com
