Diversity in the Congressional Black Caucus?

[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/12/15/art.black.caucus.jpg caption="Congressional Black Caucus announced new leadership in November 2008."]
Leutisha Stills
Jack and Jill Politics

William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson’s defeat to Joseph Cao, a Vietnamese-American Republican, puts another majority African-American district under a Congressional representative that is NOT an African-American. If anyone has followed the Congressional Black Caucus for years, the main reason why it was formed was to make sure that African-Americans would have their voices heard in Congress.

In fact, the demographics of most of the members are largely African-American. So, it would stand to reason that if a majority African-American district does not have an African-American representative in the House of Representatives, shouldn’t their representatives join or engage in the caucus that would educate them about the needs of their district and allow them to effectively represent their district?

If Cao is denied membership in the CBC, he wouldn’t be the first non-African-American denied membership. Two years ago, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Memphis) took over the Dark Sith’s old seat in Congress and one of his first acts was to seek membership in the CBC, per his campaign promise to the voters who elected him.

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