Illinois Legislative Black Caucus
The Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Illinois Legislature. Priorities. The primary mission of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus is "to assure that the interests of African American citizens are given equitable representation in the General Assembly and that legislative action is directed to address those interests." The Caucus's efforts have focused in the areas of housing, health & welfare, education, employment and minority business enterprise. Specific priorities include: Current membership. Officers are elected from within the Caucus with equal representation from both the House and  Senate members. Officers. The following legislators are officers of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus for the 102nd General Assembly. History. African Americans in the Illinois General Assembly have had the longest uninterrupted presence in any state legislature in the United States, dating back to 1882. The first African American in the Illinois House of Representatives, John W. E. Thomas of Chicago, was elected in 1876, and after not being re-nominated in 1878 and 1880, returned to the House in 1882. The number of African-Americans in the House increased to two in 1912. Adelbert H. Roberts became the first  African American in the Illinois Senate in 1924. Roberts, in 1927, became the first to chair a legislative committee, the Senate Committee on Criminal Procedure. Until 1934, all of the African-Americans elected to the General Assembly were Republicans, after which the African-American presence in the legislature gradually shifted to the Democratic caucus. Floy Clements (1958) and Earlene Collins (1977) became the first African-American women to be elected to the House and Senate, respectively. Cecil A. Partee rose to become the first Minority Leader (1973) and President of the Senate (1975). The Caucus originated in a study group  formed by Harold Washington, Louis A.H. Caldwell, Otis Collins, and Calvin Smith (Illinois politician) in 1966. The Caucus was formally established in 1968, and purchased a permanent headquarters in Springfield in 2004.