WASHINGTON, DC – With a record 62 Black elected officials, including a historic first for two female senators and two representatives from Alabama, the Congressional Black Caucus held a swearing-in ceremony last Friday morning before members took the oath of office for the 119th Congress.
Democrats Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware represent for the first time, two black women will serve together in the US Senate.
The club also commemorated the historic election of two Black members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama serving at the same time. Incumbent MP Terri Sewell was joined by Shomari Figurs, who was elected in November to represent the European Union recent 2nd Congressional District. Following the lawsuit, a federal court ordered the state to draw a second “opportunity district” in 2022 to ensure Black voters have a chance to choose their preferred candidate. In 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling.
Sewell, a Democrat, remembers when the club was formed in 1971 with 13 members – 12 men and one woman. There are currently a total of 67 Black lawmakers in Congress, the largest contingent in the Capitol’s history.
However, five Republicans – Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Wesley Hunt of Texas, John James of Michigan and Burgess Owens of Utah – are not members of the Congressional Black Caucus and did not attend the ceremony. All are staunch supporters of Republican President-elect Donald Trump. Since the Republican Party controls the House and Senate, the Republican Party has expressed its support for Trump’s future policies and even released some of his controversial statements.
Although the Black Caucus is not affiliated with a political party, Democratic members said they will continue to challenge legislation they believe will negatively impact Black Americans.
“Today we renew our commitment to fight racism where it exists, to eliminate inequities in health care, the criminal justice system, education, voter access and the many rights and benefits that are part and parcel of what it means to be Americans,” he said Sewell, who serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. “We in the Congressional Black Caucus are ready for the task before us.”
Maryland Republican Glenn Ivey, a Democrat, expressed concern that the Trump administration or his appointees are using the U.S. Department of Justice to get back at people he considers enemies. “That is not the role of the Department of Justice,” he said. “We must ensure that the rule of law is protected now and in the future.”
Ivey said one way to fight Trump and his allies in Congress is through the 2026 midterm elections.
“I remember a few years ago when Republicans controlled the White House, the Senate and the House. A few years later, [then U.S. Sen.] Barack Obama was elected president and we regained control of the Senate and the House,” Ivey said after the ceremony. “So the defeat is preparation for the comeback. We are ready to come back.”
The ceremony at The Anthem was attended by hundreds of family members, friends and supporters, including Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League.
Morial said in an interview that just because Trump becomes president doesn’t mean the club will stop its advocacy work.
“They should tell the president, ‘If you want to meet us halfway on important priorities like voting rights or poverty eradication, we won’t say no,'” Morial said. “But if you only plan to administer the MAGA base, we will lead the resistance.”
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