Ohio Legislative Black Caucus
 OLBC, 132 General Assembly of Ohio | |
| Formation | 1967[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio |
Membership |
During the 132 General Assembly
|
President | Stephanie Howse |
| Website | Official website |
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC), formally known as the Black Elected Democrats of Ohio, is an American political organization now composed of African Americans elected to the Ohio General Assembly. 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 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. At that time, the organization was known as BEDO (Black Elected Democrats of Ohio). Along with the honorable CJ Mclin, the honorable William Mallory, the honorable William Bowen, the honorable Phale Hale, the honorable Thomas Hill, the honorable M. Morris Jackson, the honorable Troy James, and the honorable Larry Smith also helped found the organization.
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:[2]
| District | Officers | Position |
|---|---|---|
| (D - Cleveland) House District 11 | Stephanie Howse | President |
| (D - Columbus) House District 26 | Hearcel Craig | 1st VP |
| (D - Cleveland) House District 9 | Janine Boyd | Treasurer |
| (D - Cleveland) House District 34 | Emilia Sykes | Secretary & Ohio House Minority Whip |
Members
- Ohio House of Representatives Minority Leader Fred Strahorn (D-Dayton)
- Ohio State Rep. Thomas E. West (D-Canton)
- Ohio State Rep. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati)
- Ohio State Rep. Michael Ashford (D-Toledo)
- Ohio State Rep. Glenn Holmes (D-McDonald)
- Ohio State Rep. Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati)
- Ohio State Sen. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati)
- Ohio State Sen. Edna Brown (D-Toledo)
- Ohio State Sen. Charleta Tavares (D-Columbus)
- Ohio State Rep. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron)
- Ohio State Rep. Sandra Williams (D-Cleveland)
References
- ↑ {{cite web|title=The History of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus(OLBC)|url=https://ohiolegislativeblackcaucus.org/history/
- ↑ "Members". Ohio Legislative Black Caucus. Archived from the original on 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-04-30.