This is a story about black power, 1990s style: On Nov. 17, Prince Georges County Del. Joanne C. Benson, the newly elected chairwoman of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus, wrote to the leaders of the General Assembly.
Delegate Benson reminded Speaker of the House Casper R. Taylor and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller of black voters' consistent loyalty to the Democratic party.
She noted that blacks provided the crucial margin of victory in the recent governor's race. And she pointed out that members of the black caucus include some of the most talented and experienced legislators in Annapolis.
But, she wrote, "as we assess the organizational structure [of the General Assembly] there is a strong feeling among the Caucus members and many citizens that our presence in leadership positions in both the House and Senate has not been adequately reflected. At the very least, this lack of leadership presence is inconsistent with our citizens' loyalty to the Democratic Party. . ."
By all accounts, this message was courteously received by Senate President Miller and House Speaker Taylor. But I have this observation: Delegate Benson's letter is either a plaintive plea for respect or a warning to the General Assembly leadership that 1995 will not be a year of politics as usual.
Yet, if the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus were truly influential in Annapolis, the letter should not have been necessary.
So, why do black leaders feel they must ask for (or demand) respect?
"The fault lies on both sides," says Sen. Decatur W. Trotter of Prince Georges County. "On the one hand, the party leaders have been slow to accord us the respect we deserve. On the vTC other hand, the caucus in the past has not always exercised its muscle in a way that would command respect."
Despite steady political advancement in the past two decades, black politicians -- and the concerns of black voters -- seem to remain on the margins of the mainstream. Black representation in state legislatures has increased dramatically. In 1970, there were 147 black legislators nationwide. Today, there are 540. In January, Maryland will send more blacks to the General Assembly -- 36 -- than ever before. Yet, blacks remain the Rodney Dangerfield of politics: "We can't get no respect."
David Bositis, senior analyst with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, says black concerns are closer to the mainstream than people think. "Members of the Congressional Black Caucus were principally pragmatic politicians. They tended to be more interested in small businesses and urban economic development, but I'd hardly describe those as far-out, radical issues."
Blacks also find themselves out of step with the national shift toward the Republican Party and the political right. In Washington, for instance, the Congressional Black Caucus seemed on the verge of exercising substantial clout after 1992. But those gains were swept away last month when Republicans obtained control of both houses of Congress. The Republican leadership stripped blacks of three chairmanships and 17 subcommittee chairs in the House alone. Yesterday, Republicans added insult to injury when they voted to eliminate funding for all congressional caucuses, including the Black Caucus.
But as Mr. Bositis notes, blacks often feel they have no choice but to vote Democratic. "It is not true that the Democrats are the black people's party," he says. "However, in many jurisdictions it is true that Republicans are the white people's party. If a Republican candidate could promise to make the streets safe in a way that did not sound as if he or she meant, 'Make the streets safe for white people,' black voters might support them."
Maryland's black legislators see the shift to the right as a wake-up call. State Sen. Larry Young of Baltimore -- who is expected to assume a leadership role in the next session -- says the caucus will have to show greater unity.
Adds Delegate Benson, "I'm not sure black politicians have done an admirable job educating the public that the so-called black agenda benefits everyone. That is going to change."