Shortly after the New Year begins, the next session of Indiana’s General Assembly will start.
This session is of major importance, because lawmakers in the Indiana House and Senate will pass legislation that could have a major impact for many years to come.
What kind of bills will be needed to address significant challenges in the African-American community? What issues should minority legislators place on their priority list during the session?
“We have several different areas to focus on,” said state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago, chairman of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC), a coalition of the state’s African-American and Latino legislators.
Randolph noted that top issues for the IBLC will, among others, be jobs and economic development, education and health care.
In the area of economic development, the IBLC is ready to support legislation to make it easier for more companies to relocate to Indiana, encourage existing businesses to expand and establish a state agency devoted specifically to advising small businesses.
“Hopefully, these measures will lead to the creation of more jobs,” Randolph said. “The more jobs we have, the more money is generated through the economy, the more revenue becomes available to the state and the more counties have to provide services that are needed for their people.”
With education, the IBLC realizes that the age of automation and globalization has led to many jobs becoming highly specialized, requiring specific types of certifications or college degrees.
“To have the necessary skills for these jobs, you need training and learning,” Randolph said. “We want to support education from that aspect, so more potential employees can qualify for available jobs.”
In addition, the IBLC is in full support of early pre-kindergarten education.
“Studies have shown that what children learn between the ages of 1 and 3 builds the foundation of education in terms of future progress,” Randolph stated.
With health care, the IBLC has pledged to support measures that will lead to as many Hoosiers as possible becoming insured through the Affordable Health Care Act championed by President Barack Obama.
In addition, the IBLC has pledged to introduce measures that will help ex-offenders gain needed things such as employment and housing to keep from going back to prison. Another focus will be support for possible gun control proposals on assault weapons in light of the recent school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Randolph said the IBLC formulated its priority list of issues after legislators in the caucus spoke with constituents and held their annual symposium, in which they speak with community leaders from around the state.
Community voices its needs
Leaders and service providers in predominantly African-American areas of the local community have developed a clear view of challenges that they hope legislators will be able to deal with this coming session.
“If you look at (U.S.) Census data, for example, it shows that African-Americans often have lower percentages in terms of having attained post secondary education,” said Johannon Tate, deputy director of Christamore House, a service organization located in the Haughville area on the city’s Westside. “Another major concern we see is joblessness. Unemployment is almost twice as high for people of color, compared to the national average,”
Tate believes that if serious, strong efforts are made by legislators, minority and otherwise, to address education and unemployment, it would “work wonders” toward reducing crime, especially in the state’s urban areas.
“It has been proven that lack of education and the ability to be gainfully employed creates situations where crime numbers tend to skyrocket,” Tate said.
Josephine Rogers, executive director of the Martindale Brightwood Community Development Corp. (MBCDC), noted that the top issues facing many neighborhoods run the gamut from education and employment, to crime and environmental challenges that affect the health and quality of life of residents.
“Many of our concerns are centered around criminal activities in neighborhoods, from drug selling and use, to houses being broken into and children not having safe playgrounds and activities,” Rogers said. “High unemployment and low graduation rates are also very serious concerns.”
Rogers shared the frustration felt by residents who see drug dealers meandering through the streets, and property owners who have invested in the rehabilitation of run down houses, only to have the doors kicked in and items stolen.
“In any neighborhood you can pick out a variety of issues that could be addressed, but we have to get to the root cause,” Rogers said. “It may go deeper than what some of us may want to address, but it is important to handle the root causes, which is what our organization is trying to do.”
Noting that the drug trade is a major problem in her area, Rogers suggested that legislators could develop proposals to increase vocational programs and job training to increase employment opportunities and make drug dealing less appealing.
Getting the job done
IBLC members hear the concerns of their constituents loud and clear, and are ready to take action. However, some difficulties in meeting their goals could arise during the General Assembly.
First, all members of the IBLC are Democrats, but Republicans hold significant majorities in both the House and Senate. This means that proposals made by IBLC members will be able to get a hearing only if Republicans who control key legislative committees allow it.
At this time, the IBLC has not yet fully developed a specific strategy for any accomplishments during the upcoming session.
“Much of the success we have will depend upon the attitude of those who are in the majority and our persuasiveness in terms of convincing them to support the issues that are put for in the Legislature,” said Rep. John Bartlett, D-Indianapolis, vice chairman of the IBLC.
“We want to work with them and we’re hopeful that they feel the same way,” IBLC chairman Randolph said. “I think the ‘my way or the highway’ mentality is beginning to change, both in Washington and here in the state.”
Bartlett added that the IBLC is prepared to fight for solutions that are beneficial not only to African-Americans, but also “to a lot of everyday, blue collar, working Hoosiers.”
