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Democratic representative from New York Hakeem Jeffries made history as the first African-American legislator to lead a party in Congress early Saturday morning during the session of the House of Representatives in Washington D.C.
Jeffries leads the Democratic Party in the House of Representativesreplacing the representative Nancy Pelosi, who served as speaker in the previous session of Congress when Democrats held a majority.
In addition to being the first African-American lawmaker to reach that position, he is also the first person elected to lead House Democrats from among those born after the end of World War II.
Delivering his first speech as part of the opening of the 118th Congress, Hakeem Jeffries assured that Democrats are ready to get to work, defend the progress that has been made, and continue to deliver for the people.
Jeffries’ position was made official after the conclusion of a protracted House presidential race where California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy finally secured the powerful Republican majority leadership position after days of grueling negotiations and voting. failed.
For Democrats, Saturday officially marked the end of one era and the beginning of another, when Jeffries, 52, took up his new role.
House Democrats selected Jeffries to lead their party during a closed-door election in November. He ran unopposed and Democrats have rallied around him since Pelosi’s departure from the leadership after two decades at the helm of the party. Jeffries will lead the Democratic minority in the House of Representatives for the next two years.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Jeffries studied political science at the State University of New York at Binghamton and received a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University. He also attended law school at New York University School of Law, where he participated in the law review.
Jeffries, who was first elected in 2012, is embarking on his sixth term as a lawmaker with ambitions to restore the Enhanced Child Tax Credit, bring his party back to a majority by 2024, denounce what he describes as Republican extremism and rebuild economic access.
“I look forward to the opportunity to do the most good for as many people as possible while I have the opportunity to do so and can operate at the highest level,” he told CNN last month.
Jeffries’ rise to become one of the highest-ranking African-American politicians in America It comes as record numbers of African-Americans also assume their role as legislators in Congress, making decisions for their constituents, in a building where slaves laid the foundation.
With information from CNN
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