House Speaker Jones participates in historic session at national conference in D.C.

Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) was part of a historic gathering Wednesday of Black state legislators who lead their respective House or Senate chambers.

Jones, who was elected to the House in 1997, was the longest-serving of the legislative leaders gathered on stage at the National Black Caucus of State Legislators 48th annual legislative conference at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference theme was “Rebuilding the American Dream.”

Del. N. Scott Phillips (D-Baltimore County), who attended the session, said Jones serves as “a dean” for other Black speakers across the country.

“Speaker Jones being here … was very special,” Phillips said. He added that her appearance shows the diversity of Maryland, which has also elected a Black governor and Black attorney general.

“I think people in Maryland have really elevated African American elected officials because what’s good for the African American community, in many respects, is good for all of Maryland,” Phillips said.

Others noted that former Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), will become the first two Black women to serve at the same time in the U.S. Senate when they are sworn in next month, after winning Senate races in November.

Besides Jones, who became the state’s first Black speaker of Maryland’s House of Delegates in 2019, five others who joined her on stage were also first in their states.

“I’m so proud to be here because I’m not just looking at being Black. I’m looking at equity,” said Virginia House Speaker Don L. Scott Jr. (D), who became the chamber’s leader this year. “There was no affirmative action to get us here. All of us earned exactly where we are.”

Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D), who became that chamber’s second Black leader and first woman speaker last year, acknowledged the legacy of K. Leroy Irvis, the first Black speaker in the nation when he took over the Pennsylvania House in 1977.

But McClinton said there remains challenges in achieving the American dream, pointing to voters rejection last month of Vice President Kamala Harris (D) in favor of President-elect Donald Trump (R). McClinton said the nation still has a problem with “sexism.”

“It felt like a personal slap in the face,” she said of the election outcome. “It felt like I was rejected across the nation, that someone like me who does not have the same qualifications as our Madam Vice President will never have the opportunity to ascend to the White House.”

Other Black leaders who joined Wednesday’s plenary session included New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who became that chamber’s leader in 2015; Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, chosen to lead that chamber in 2021; and Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, who began leading the chamber last year. All are Democrats.

Joe Tate, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives since last year, wasn’t in attendance because the Michigan Legislature is currently in session. But he did participate for about 20 minutes via Zoom on a big screen.

Also mentioned was Rachel Talbot Ross, elected as Maine’s first Black speaker of the House two years ago. She ran unopposed in last month’s general election for the state Senate.

Jones said she hopes the Black leaders will communicate more, which could generate ideas to benefit not only their communities, but their entire states.

“We all should keep communicating with each other,” she said. “The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, and sometimes that left hand has stuff that’s going on that it may be something that you might want to do.”