History of MLBC

William W. Ferguson became the first African American to win election to the Michigan Legislature. He served two terms in the House of Representatives (1893 to 1896).

The year of the United States’ entry into World War II was also the first year in which two African Americans served simultaneously in the Michigan Legislature. Charles C. Diggs of the Senate was joined by Horace A. White, who won a seat in the House of Representatives.

Charline White became the first female African American to win election to the Michigan Legislature. She served in the House of Representatives until 1959. This year also saw the election of the first second-generation African American legislator. Charles C. Diggs, Jr. won a seat in the Senate just as his father had done thirteen years before.

Matthew McNeely became the first African American elected by the House of Representatives as Associate Speaker Pro Tempore. In 1973, he was elected Speaker Pro Tempore. Coleman Young of the Senate was appointed Minority Floor Leader of the Senate in the same year.

Both Jackie Vaughn III and David S. Holmes were elected to leadership positions in the Michigan Senate. Vaughn became the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Holmes, the Majority Caucus Chairman. Neither position had before been held by an African American.

The Legislative Black Caucus was formed this year after a meeting at the Detroit home of Rep. Morris Hood, Jr., where he was elected as the first Caucus Chairman.

After a hiatus of four years, Joe Young, Sr. returned to the Michigan Legislature, joining his son, Joe Young, Jr. and making them the first African American father and son to serve in the Legislature simultaneously.

The lobbying efforts and leadership of African American legislators led to the passage of a statute to establish the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

Morris W. Hood, Jr. becomes the first African American lawmaker in Michigan to chair the House Appropriations Committee.

African American membership in the Michigan Legislature reaches 20 (5 in the Senate, 15 in the House), the most in history. Virgil Smith in the Senate and Kwame Kilpatrick in the House each serve as Democratic floor leaders.

Kwame Kilpatrick became the first African American to be elected as leader of the House Democratic Caucus. He left office in January 2002 to take office as mayor of Detroit.

Senator Bill Hardiman is the first Republican African American in the Michigan Legislature since Senator Charles Roxborough, who served in 1932.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist has dedicated his career to solving problems. An engineer by training, he uses thoughtful and fact-based practices to solve real problems and make government work better for Michigan families.

Joe Tate was elected to a second term in 2020. After the Democratic Party gained control of the Michigan House of Representatives in the 2022 Michigan House of Representatives elections, Tate became the first African American to be elected Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives.

Justice Kyra Harris Bolden joined the Michigan Supreme Court on January 1, 2023, when she was appointed by Governor Whitmer, making her the first Black woman to serve as a Justice.

Senator Sarah Anthony has always fought for equity and opportunity for all Michiganders, including the most vulnerable among us. Throughout her 20 year career in public service, Sarah has made history multiple times, serving as mid-Michigan’s first African American woman to be elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and the Michigan Senate. In 2023, she became the first Black woman to chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.