IBLC announces leadership changes
INDIANAPOLIS – Members of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) held their bi-annual leadership elections on December 21, electing State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago) as Chair and State Rep. Carolyn Jackson (D-Hammond) as Vice Chair. Harris, who formerly served as Vice Chair, succeeds State Rep. Robin Shackleford (D-Indianapolis) as Chair.
“I'm very excited to begin this new chapter of Chair of the IBLC,” Harris said. “Over the next two years, we'll continue the work we've been doing for the past 44 years as a caucus to advance the needs of and improve the quality of life for African Americans, as well as all Hoosiers, throughout the state. We have a lot of important work to do, but I'm confident that the work we're doing is going to make a monumental impact for generations of Hoosiers.”
“I'm looking forward to seeing what the IBLC accomplishes in the 2023 Legislative Session of the Indiana General Assembly as we focus our efforts on decreasing the education achievement gap. I'm very proud of the advances we made from 2020-2022,” Shackleford said. “During that time – while working through a global pandemic and international civil rights protests – the House unanimously passed House Bill 1006, which I co-authored. The bill, which was a priority for the IBLC, defines the use of chokeholds during arrests as lethal force and penalizes officers for intentionally turning off body and vehicle cameras. It also establishes procedures to decertify an officer who has committed misconduct, requires a law enforcement agency to request a potential hire's employment record, and requires officers to undergo de-escalation training. I'm very thankful we were able to get that passed, and I am very excited to see the changes we're able to make in the years to come.”
The new leadership of the IBLC is as follows:
Chair: State Rep. Earl Harris Jr. (D-East Chicago)
Vice Chair: State Rep. Carolyn Jackson (D-Hammond)
Treasurer: State Rep. Renee Pack (D-Indianapolis)
Parliamentarian: State Rep. John Bartlett (D-Indianapolis)
Chaplain: State Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-Indianapolis)