Joint Center 30th Anniversary Count Of Black Elected Officials Shows Dramatic Increase Over Three Decades

3/28/2002

From: Liselle Yorke of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366

WASHINGTON, March 28 -- Three decades after the publication of the first national count of black elected officials (BEOs), the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies today released its 2000 figures, showing a six-fold increase since 1970 to 9,040. The report, Black Elected Officials: A Statistical Summary, 2000, by David A. Bositis also highlights key trends that may shape the future of black political leadership. First, black women, who have accounted for all of the growth in the number of BEOs for two consecutive years, now make up 34.5 percent of the total figure. Second, younger African Americans, who often have different views and experiences than their older counterparts, are increasingly being elected. Finally, an increasing number of black mayors are being elected in large cities (over 50,000) where the majority of the population is not African American.

Although there was a modest increase of only 1.2 percent between January 1999 and January 2000, the combined total of the two states with the largest number of African Americans holding elective office -? Mississippi and Alabama ?- is greater than the nationwide total in 1970 (1,469).

"The past three decades have been the most dynamic period for African American elected officials in terms of growth, gender and age diversity, and political clout," said Eddie N. Williams, president of the Joint Center. "When the first roster was published in 1970, Shirley Chisholm was the only black female in Congress and there were only two African American mayors of major cities. Today, there are 13 black female congressional representatives and 47 big city black mayors."

The net gain of 101 in 2000 was largely the result of African Americans being elected to offices previously held by non-blacks. There were increases in 19 states (including the District of Columbia), no change in 17 states, and decreases in 14 states. Among the top five states with the largest number of BEOs, Mississippi (897) and Alabama (731) saw modest increases, while Louisiana (701), Illinois (621), and Georgia (582) experienced slight declines.

Other report highlights:

-- While in 1970 there was a total of 809 BEOs in the top ten states with the largest number of blacks in elective office, in 2000 there were 5,881.

-- In 2000, the South accounted for eight of the top ten states in numbers of BEOs, whereas three decades ago there were only three southern states in the top ten.

-- Most of the growth between 1970 and 2000 occurred in the South, and six states -- Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Illinois, Georgia, and South Carolina -- have each gained more than 500 BEOs during this period.

-- Between 1999 and 2000, Mississippi accounted for almost half (47) of the nationwide growth, while Pennsylvania experienced the largest percentage growth (13.4 percent).

Black Elected Officials: A Statistical Summary encompasses federal, state, municipal, and local officials, including those in law enforcement and education. The Joint Center ceased printing an annual roster listing black elected officials by name in 1993. However, such detailed information, including names, addresses, and levels of office, is still available for purchase. For more information, please contact the Joint Center's Office of Development and Communications at 202-789-3500.

The full report with related tables and graphs are available at http://www.jointcenter.org

------ The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within the minority, business, and other diverse communities. For information, please visit http://www.jointcenter.org.