ICYMI: NewDEAL Celebrates Black History Month

The NewDEAL is honored to celebrate Black History Month this February. As a network that is home to hundreds of Leaders representing diverse backgrounds, we’re proud to support so many outstanding Black state and local officials who are shaping a brighter future for their communities.

From Phoenix to Milwaukee, on issues from housing to healthcare, these exceptional leaders are not only making history as some of the first African American policymakers elected to their offices, but they are also taking concrete steps to improve the lives of all Americans.

Here are five leaders who are making a difference in their communities and states:

• Anthony Daniels, Alabama’s House Democratic Leader, has championed legislation to offer tax credits to businesses who either provide on-site childcare or cover childcare costs. Daniels is the first African American minority leader in Alabama.
• Fentrice Driskell, Florida House Democratic Leader, led efforts to fund community-based programs focused on treating sickle cell disease, an illness that disproportionately impacts Black Americans and has reached national highs in Florida. Driskell is the first Black woman to lead Florida House Democrats.
• Kesha Hodge Washington, a Phoenix, Arizona, councilwoman, has led an environmental and public health effort to plant thousands of trees in moderate-to-low income communities to protect residents from extreme heat so common to the southwest city. Hodge Washington is the first African American woman elected to the Phoenix City Council.
• Cavalier Johnson, mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has helped turn vacant, city-owned properties into affordable housing for low-and-moderate income families. This was accomplished, in part, with federal funding from the American Rescue Plan. Johnson is Milwaukee’s first elected Black mayor.
• Joanna McClinton, Pennsylvania’s Speaker of the House, spearheaded an agenda to lower costs for Pennsylvania families. Priorities include tripling the child tax credit and helping seniors pay less at the pharmacy. McClinton is the first woman to serve as Pennsylvania’s Speaker of the House.