Washington's Legislature has more Black members than ever
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Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios; Photos: Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images and courtesy of Washington State Legislature
Nearly 10% of Washington state lawmakers are Black, a record number that has been years in the making.
Why it matters: Having greater Black representation in the Legislature — coupled with greater diversity in general at the Capitol — "really just enhances the number of perspectives being brought to the public policy debate," state Rep. Kristine Reeves (D-Federal Way), who chairs the Legislative Black Caucus, told Axios.
- It also eases the pressure on individual Black lawmakers to represent and speak for all Black people, she said.
- "We have as many diverse opinions among Black people as we do among all people in the Legislature," Reeves said.
State of play: Washington's Legislative Black Caucus has 14 members this year.
- That's the highest number of Black lawmakers who have ever served simultaneously in the 147-member Legislature, House Chief Clerk Bernard Dean told Axios.
- It's a big jump from about a decade ago, when the 2014 death of state Rep. Roger Freeman (D-Federal Way) temporarily made Seattle's Eric Pettigrew the Legislature's only Black member (a status Pettigrew also held in 2012).
Zoom in: Newly serving Black legislators this year include state Rep. Shaun Scott (D-Seattle) and state Rep. Natasha Hill (D-Spokane) — both elected last fall — and state Rep. Brianna Thomas, (D-West Seattle), who was appointed last month to fill a vacancy.
What they're saying: Reeves said the 2016 election of President Trump helped spur more Black people to run for office, as did the protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
- Recruitment and training programs for candidates have also played a role, she added.
Flashback: Following the 2020 election, the number of Black women in the Legislature tripled.
- That year, state Sen. T'wina Nobles (D-University Place) became the second Black woman ever elected to the state Senate and the first Black senator to serve in the chamber in a decade.
Between the lines: Having a larger Black caucus can help ensure that Black members' voices aren't overlooked, state Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, told Axios.
- "When we are in the room and we are voicing our opinion, people do hear what we have to say," said Entenman, who has served in the Legislature since 2019.
- Scott told Axios that he thinks members of the Legislative Black Caucus "are united in making sure we are fighting for everyday people and vulnerable groups, because many of us come from those backgrounds as well."
What we're watching: While 12 of the state House's 98 members are Black, the 49-member state Senate has only two Black members.
- That makes Black representation in the state Senate slightly lower than the share of Washington's population that is Black, which was 4.7% as of 2023, per census data.