Members of the Congressional Black Caucus raise their right hands for a ceremonial swearing-in from New York Attorney General Letitia James in Washington Friday. Photo by William J. Ford.
WASHINGTON – The Congressional Black Caucus celebrated a number of landmarks Friday — a record 62 members of Congress in the caucus, two Black House members from Alabama for the first time and the historic first of two Black women elected to the same Senate class.
One of those two newly minted senators, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), drew some of the biggest applause when she walked on stage to join the other 61 caucus members at a ceremonial swearing-in at the Anthem theater on the Washington Waterfront. Hours later, Alsobrooks was still marveling at the historic nature of the election.
“This is such a big day, it really is. To have my parents here and lots of family members,” Alsobrooks said during a brief interview between getting her official portrait taken and running to a reception for supporters and family members. “You know, I had grandparents who could have never imagined a day like this … it has just been really amazing.”
The election of Alsobrooks and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) marks the first time two Black women will serve together in the U.S. Senate.
The caucus also marked the historic election of two Black U.S. House members from Alabama serving at the same time. Incumbent Rep. Terri Sewell has been joined by Shomari Figures, who was elected in November to represent the new 2nd Congressional District.
That district was created following a lawsuit, in which a federal court ordered the state in 2022 to draw a second “opportunity district” to provide a chance for Black voters in Alabama to select their preferred candidate. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the lower court’s ruling in 2023.
Sewell, a Democrat, recalled how the caucus was first established in 1971 with 13 members – 12 men and one woman. Today, a total of 67 Black lawmakers serve in Congress, the largest contingent ever on Capitol Hill.
In addition to the 62 Democrats in the caucus, there are five Black Republicans in Congress – 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 didn’t attend the ceremony.
All are ardent supporters of Republican President-elect Donald Trump. With the GOP in control of the House and Senate, they have stated their support for Trump’s future policies and even a few of his controversial statements.
Although the Black caucus isn’t tied to a political party, the Democratic members said they will continue to challenge legislation they deem will negatively affect Black Americans.
“Today, we renew our pledge to fight racism where it exists, to weed out inequities in health care, the criminal justice system, education, voter access, and so many rights and benefits that are part and parcel of what it means to be Americans,” said Sewell, who serves as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s board of directors. “We, in the Congressional Black Caucus, stand ready for the task ahead.”
Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th) said he’s concerned about the Trump administration or the president-elect’s appointees using the Justice Department to get back at people they think are enemies.
“That’s not the role of the Department of Justice,” Ivey said. “Protecting the rule of law is what we’ve got to make sure happens now and going forward.”
Ivey said that one way to combat Trump and his congressional allies is looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.
“I can remember back a few years ago where the Republicans controlled the White House, the Senate and the House. A few years after that, Barack Obama got elected president, and we took back control of the Senate and the House,” Ivey said after the ceremony. “So a setback is a set up for a comeback. We’re ready to come back.”
Hundreds of family members, friends and supporters attended the ceremony at The Anthem including Marc Morial, president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League.
Morial said in an interview that just because Trump will be president doesn’t mean the caucus stops its advocacy work.
“They should say to the president, ‘If you want to meet us halfway on important priorities like voting rights, elimination of poverty, we will not say no,’” Morial said. “But if your plan is to administer solely to your MAGA base, we will lead the resistance.”
– Maryland Matters editor Steve Crane contributed to this report.