Newsman: New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries made history as the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in Congress. Jeffries is the first Black lawmaker to attain such a position elected to lead House Democrats to be born after the end of World War II.
Hakim Jeffries now leads the minority party in the House, succeeding California’s Nancy Pelosi, who served as speaker in the prior session of Congress when Democrats held the majority.
“As John Lewis would sometimes remind us on this floor, we may have come over on different ships but we’re all in the same boat now,” the New York Democrat Hakim Jeffries said, referencing the late civil rights legend and longtime congressman addressing the 118th Congress for the first time in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“We are White. We are Black. We are Latino. We are Asian. We are Native American. We are Christian. We are Jewish. We are Muslim. We are Hindu. We are religious. We are secular. We are gay. We are straight. We are young. We are older. We are women. We are men. We are citizens. We are dreamers,” he continued. “Out of many we are one. That’s what makes America a great country. And no matter what kind of haters are trying to divide us, we’re not going to let anyone take that away from us. Not now. Not ever.”
Jeffries’ position was made official after the conclusion of a prolonged floor fight that culminated in Republican Kevin McCarthy becoming House speaker. But Democrats displayed unwavering support for Jeffries, who consistently earned votes from all 212 members of his caucus as Republicans split their votes among multiple lawmakers.
