History

The Delaware Legislative Black Caucus was officially formed in November 2018 by Representative Stephanie T. Bolden after the number of Black members of the 150th General Assembly grew to eight. Senator Darius Brown served as the first Chair, alongside Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker, who served as Vice-Chair.

Founding Members:

The 151st & 152nd General Assembly’s Black Caucus Leadership:

After an election that saw its membership grow by 50 percent, the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus selected its leaders for the upcoming session, tapping Rep. Kendra Johnson as chair, Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha as vice-chair, and Sen. Marie Pinkney as secretary.

The 153rd General Assembly’s Black Caucus Leadership:

The Delaware Legislative Black Caucus (DLBC) elected Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha as Chair and Rep. Franklin Cooke as Vice-Chair for the 153rd General Assembly.

The DLBC now includes 17 legislators – the largest membership in the caucus’ history.

Task Forces

The DLBC has been integral in the creation of several task forces.

African American Task Force:

The African American Task Force was created in response to George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement codified in the 150th GA’s Grants-in- Aid bill (SB 260). Rep. Bolden was the Task Force Chair and the Subcommittees are as follows:

• Health and Welfare Subcommittee, Chairs Rep. Johnson and Rep. Minor-Brown
• Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, Chair Rep. Dorsey Walker
• Safety and Justice Subcommittee, Chair Rep. Chukwuocha
• Infrastructure and Environment Subcommittee, Chair Sen. Lockman

Law Enforcement Accountability Task Force:

The Law Enforcement Task Force was created in response to George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement codified in the 150th GA’s Grants-in-Aid bill (SB 260). Rep. Cooke was the Task Force Chair, and the subcommittees are as follows:

• Use of Force Subcommittee
• Workforce Development Subcommittee
• Community Policing and Engagement Subcommittee
• Transparency and Accountability Subcommittee