During the 100th anniversary of what is now known as Black History Month, lawmakers of color in Albany are highlighting key priorities for this legislative session.
Among them: more education funding, affordable housing and progress on issues like sentencing reform.
Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, spoke about the need for change during a news conference earlier this month.
“We spend as a state over $3 billion in incarceration ... instead of investing in prevention," Solanges said. "We know there's a racial wealth gap that's among the largest in the nation and that we are losing Black ownership, Black wealth, Black empowerment. And we need to stop the bleeding.”
The roots of the caucus date back 60 years to 1966, when Black and Puerto Rican lawmakers took what became known as the “midnight walk” to then-Speaker Anthony Travia’s office to demand more power in the legislature. They later received key leadership and committee assignments, including the powerful Assembly Ways and Means Committee.
According to a history of the caucus, members held up the state budget in 1975 until they received more benefits for Black and Latino communities.
It’s a legacy that’s celebrated during the Legislative Conference of The New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators — otherwise known as Caucus Weekend.
It brought people from all over New York state to Albany last weekend for a packed agenda of networking events, parties and policy discussions. The theme for this year was "Legacy Forward."
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the first Black person in that role, said he’s been coming to the event since even before he joined the Assembly in January 2001.
“I've been reminding people why this weekend even came about. It was the gathering of the of the legislators of color, when it was a very small number to talk about how the governor's executive budget affected people of color,” Heastie said in an interview. “And so, 55 years later, even though we have many more legislators of color and the two legislative leaders, of course, of color … it's really about the importance of how the government should be doing and providing services and looking out for the communities of color. So this weekend is always going to be important.”
Black lawmakers used the weekend to highlight some key priorities, including a $2 billion increase in foundation aid for public schools, legislation targeting foreclosure prevention and homeowner stabilization and sentencing and parole reforms.
Solages, a Long Island Democrat, said the timing of Caucus Weekend is no coincidence, as it falls right in the heart of state budget discussions. It allows advocates to directly hear from lawmakers and provide input on priorities.
“Policy can't be done in a silo. It has to be done collaboratively,” Solages said. “And so when we talk about the various issues, it's important that these, you know, people take it back and tell their neighbors that we need your help to get these policies down to the finish line.”
Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, co-executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, said it’s important to ensure lawmakers allocate enough funding to make a difference in communities.
“The money has to be enough to make the change, and that's across the board, from housing to health care to education, and if we fund it right, funded equitably, it will impact the Black and brown community,” she said. “And … when it impacts them for the better, it will absolutely impact everybody else for the better, including the state.”
For the president and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester, Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, workforce development and housing are key issues.
“To continue to prioritize Black and brown New Yorkers, that is always going to be our work. We want to make sure everybody has a pathway for economic success,” Hawkins said.
The Legislature returns to Albany next week, with some of those priorities on the agenda just more than a month before the state budget is due.
