The Origins of Black Americans in Congress

The present volume originated with the first edition of Black Americans in Congress, which was compiled and published shortly after the U.S. bicentennial in 1976. Authorized by the 95th Congress (1977–1979) via House Concurrent Resolution 182, it was printed as a House Document in 1977. Organized by Representative Corinne “Lindy” Boggs of Louisiana and Senator Edward Brooke, the booklet highlighted the careers of the 45 African Americans who had served in Congress up to that point. A résumé-style format included basic biographical information, congressional service dates, party affiliation, committee assignments, and information about Members’ other political offices. Entries were arranged chronologically, with one section for Senators and another for Representatives. A thumbnail image accompanied each profile. In a brief introduction, the renowned African-American historian Benjamin Quarles of Morgan State University wrote that Black Members on Capitol Hill were “living proof that Blacks could produce an able leadership of their own. Moreover, their presence in the halls of Congress made their Black constituents feel that they were more than bystanders—they were participants, however vicariously, in the political process.”⁷

A second edition, Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1989, was authorized by the House and the Senate in the fall of 1989 and was published in 1990. By that point, 66 African Americans had served in Congress. The volume was dedicated to the memory of Representative Mickey Leland of Texas who, as the book went to press, died in a plane crash while delivering food to famine-stricken Ethiopians. Representative Ronald V. Dellums of California, then the chair of the CBC, contributed a brief introduction for the volume: “For Black Americans the promise of republican government and democratic participation was delayed well beyond the founding of the federal government in 1789.” Dellums also observed, “In this bicentennial year of Congress and the federal government, it is important to recognize that the Constitution we enjoy today evolved over a number of years and did not protect the civil rights of Black Americans until after a Civil War and passage of significant amendments.” Authorized partly to commemorate the bicentennial of Congress in 1989, the volume contained 500- to 1,000-word profiles of Members, with basic biographical information. Suggestions for further reading were provided at the end of each profile. The profiles of former and current Members, arranged alphabetically, were merged into one section and accompanied by larger pictures.⁸

The 2008 and 2022 Editions

In the spring of 2001, Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 43, authorizing the Library of Congress to compile “an updated version” of Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1989. In late 2001, the Library of Congress transferred the project to the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. Subsequently, the Office of History and Preservation (OHP) was created under the Clerk of the House, and OHP staff began work on this publication.⁹

The resulting volume, Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007, published in 2008, reflected the far-reaching changes that occurred after the second edition of the book. When the 1990 edition was published during the 101st Congress (1989–1991), 25 Black Members served in the House. There were no African-American Senators. But over the next two decades, a number of unprecedented developments changed the course of African-American congressional history. From 1991 through the end of 2007, 55 new African Americans were elected to Congress—roughly 45 percent of all the Black Members and Senators who had served in the history of the institution. Moreover, the appreciable gender gap between Black men and women Members of Congress narrowed during this period. Between 1991 and the end of 2007, 20 Black women were elected to Congress—36 percent of all African Americans elected to Congress in that period.

The structure, scope, and content of the 2008 edition of Black Americans in Congress reflected the dramatic growth, changing characteristics, and increasing influence of Black Members. Like the first edition, the 2008 volume was organized chronologically, to more accurately convey how the experiences of Black Members changed over time. In contrast to both of the previous editions of Black Americans in Congress, however, the Member profiles in the 2008 edition placed more emphasis on elections and congressional service and featured a much broader scope. Additionally, contextual essays offered analysis of the political, social, and institutional developments affecting African Americans’ participation in Congress over the years.

In the summer of 2022, Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 82 to publish a revised edition of Black Americans in Congress, whose title was specified in the print resolution and follows the first three editions of this book. The new edition of Black Americans in Congress, however, includes fully reconceptualized and reorganized contextual essays and profiles. Its four sections cover revised time periods to accentuate key turning points in the history of African Americans in Congress and to take into account the growth in the number of Black Americans in Congress since 2008. It also features updated appendices, including Black Members by Congress and by state or territory; Black Members who were chairs of committees and subcommittees; chairs of the CBC; Black Members in party leadership positions; and constitutional amendments and major legislation related to the civil and voting rights of African Americans.¹⁰

Each Member profile describes the individual’s precongressional career and, when possible, contains a detailed analysis of the lawmaker’s first campaign for congressional office as well as information about re-election efforts, committee assignments, leadership positions, major legislative initiatives, and a brief summary of the Member’s post-congressional career. Following the Government Publishing Office (GPO) Style Manual, the editors have capitalized the initial letters of both “Black” and “White.”

We hope this resource will serve as a starting point for students and researchers who want to know more about the experiences of Black Americans in Congress. Accordingly, bibliographic information, including information about manuscript collections, is provided at the end of each former Member profile, when applicable. This information was drawn from the House and Senate records that were used to compile the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

The Office of the House Historian maintains this website exhibition, “Black Americans in Congress,” based on the book’s latest print edition. Readers can access the online profiles of every Member from Hiram Revels and Joseph Rainey onward as well as up-to-date data and statistics on various aspects of the history of African Americans in Congress.

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