The Albany County Legislature voted unanimously on Monday to recognize its first Legislative Black Caucus.
The approved resolution says that as underrepresented groups have increased their participation in Albany County government, it has become more diverse, and as a result a legislative caucus evolved to give voice to those individuals and groups. Legislator Lucille McKnight proclaimed the moment as “historic.” "We've had some difficult times trying to do race relations in employment and other situations in Albany County. We've had three lawsuits during the redistricting process and we felt a real serious need for it, just to get all the protected class members listed and known and trying to learn some information about how we could do it better."
Caucus members include Legislators Merton Simpson, Norma Chapman, William Clay and Wanda Willingham. Andrew Joyce chairs the Albany County Legislature. "I think this discussion began with my decision to appoint Wanda Willingham as our deputy chair for the Democrats. Every day she proves her worth and I'm so thankful that she came on to help me with my agenda, and this is just another one of her great ideas to organize and strengthen not only the African-American members of our body but also the people who represent minority majority districts."
McKnight, the county's longest tenured African-American female legislator, agrees the time has come to form the Black Caucus. "I think it's gonna be really great for people who never knew who they could go to to get things done. They'll know now we've got a body of people, in fact we're gonna get a little office room, one room in the county building up there where people will feel comfortable about coming to you. See you have all these different denominations and races of folks. They never feel like, they have no one to go to, to complain, as we take in border babies and people who speak Spanish and stuff. They don't have anyone to talk to. They don't even have anyone to help me fill out my forms to get social security or get welfare or Medicaid or nothing. So, we like help ice-breaking people, and we'll come up to you and talk to you about any issues. And then when governing goes, we fight for the rights of people of the protected class. I've been fighting for a lot of years, since 1992. Not ready to stop yet either. Got a lot of work to be done."
Joyce says he expects the group to focus on a variety of issues. "How do we streamline and improve the effort to get minority-owned businesses a fair shake in Albany County, not that they don't right now, but let's take a look at that and see how we can improve that as well, and just bring those issues to the forefront for me so that I have visibility on it after they caucus. It just makes me, it helps my awareness and helps me be a better leader when our folks are organized and they're talking to me."
McKnight adds the group will also direct attention to ensuring fairness and equality prevail when the county’s redistricting process kicks off in 2020 with the new U.S. Census. "We're watching it already. It has expanded to over 310,000 residents in Albany, back from what it was in 2008 I think it was. But we gotta still see if it's gonna be certified by our president, if he'll still be there, but y'know, anyway, we're just getting things in place."
The group also plans to look for ways to increase diversity in the County workforce and on County construction projects and contracts, as well as bolstering diversity on boards and commissions appointed by the County.
