# National Black Caucus of State Legislators

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The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to state legislatures in the United States and its territories.

## Background

NBCSL was founded in 1977 after a group of about eighteen African American state legislators, attending the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures and perceiving that the NCSL was still "racially exclusive" at that time, decided to call for a national conference in Nashville, Tennessee. About ninety African American state legislators attended. The first president was Michigan state representative Matthew McNeely. The organization has grown to more than six hundred members by 2008. Legislators of this organization come from 44 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.
Since its inception, NBCSL has met annually in a pre-determined host state for its Annual Legislative Conference. Throughout the year, NBCSL sponsors policy symposia to keep members abreast of growing policy trends and educated on policy issues that affect NBCSL’s constituents. When legislators attend the Annual Legislative Conference, policy committees meet and discuss policy resolutions, drawing upon information presented in the symposia, that are voted up or down by the membership. These resolutions become the policy position of the organization. Legislators, corporate partners, and labor representatives take these policy resolutions and use them to influence public policy in state legislatures and on Capitol Hill.

## Mission

The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) is a membership association representing more than 700 black state legislators from 47 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. NBCSL members represent more than 50 million Americans of various racial backgrounds. NBCSL monitors federal and state activity and provides this information to its members through policy symposiums and conferences. Each year, NBCSL members pass policy resolutions that directly impact federal and state policy. The organization focuses on issues that directly impact US domestic policy and is committed to policies that positively affect all Americans.
The primary mission of the NBCSL is to develop, conduct, and promote educational, research, and training programs designed to enhance the effectiveness of its members, as they consider legislation and issues of public policy which impact, either directly or indirectly, upon the general welfare of African American constituents within their respective jurisdictions.

## Executive officers

Representative Billy Mitchell (GA), President
Representative Laura V. Hall (AL), President-Elect
Representative Harold M. Love Jr. (TN), Vice President
Representative Vivian Flowers (AR), Secretary
Senator Raumesh Akbari (TN), Financial Secretary
Representative Cherish Pryor (IN), Treasurer
Senator Gerald Neal (KY), Parliamen
Senator Pat Spearman (NV), Chaplain

## State legislative black caucuses

* Alabama Legislative House & Senate Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Laura Hall
* Arizona Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Leah Landrum Taylor
* Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Kevin Goss
* California Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Holly Mitchell
* Delaware Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Margaret Rose Henry
* Florida Conference of Black Legislators
    Chairperson: Alan B. Williams
* Georgia Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Senator Lester G. Jackson
* Illinois Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Kenneth Dunkin
* Indiana Black Legislative Caucus
    Chairperson: Vernon G. Smith
* Iowa Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Wayne Ford
* Kansas African American Legislative Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Barbara W. Ballard
* Kentucky Black Legislative Caucus
    Chairperson: Senator Gerald A. Neal
* Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland
    Chairperson: Delegate Daryl Barnes
* Missouri Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative John Bowman
* Legislative Black Caucus (Virgin Islands)
    Chairperson: Senator Usie Richards
* Legislative Black and Hispanic Caucus (Wisconsin)
    Chairperson: Senator Lena Taylor
* Legislative Black and Puerto Rican Caucus (Connecticut)
    Chairperson: Representative Christopher Rosario
* Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Juan A. LaFonta
* Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Willie-Mae Allen
* Michigan Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Mayor Sheldon Neeley
* Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Senator Kenneth Wayne Jones
* Nevada Black Legislative Caucus
* New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Senator Ronald L. Rice
* New York Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Assemblyman N. Nick Perry
* North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Beverly Earle
* Ohio Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Barbara A. Sykes
* Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Anastasia A. Pittman
* Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Stephen Kinsey
* Rhode Island Minority Legislator/Leadership Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Joseph S. Almeida
* South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Ivory Thigpen
* Tennessee Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Johnny Shaw
* Texas Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Representative Senfronia Thompson
* Virginia Legislative Black Caucus
    Chairperson: Delegate Dwight Jones