State Rep Kamia Brown named chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus

My aspirations grew bigger than something I ever could have imagined. Today I proudly stand before you as the outgoing representative for state House District 45. I’ve been the legislator to the best district, in one of the greatest states, and one of the greatest countries in the world as a woman of color.”

Rep. Kamia Brown

Against the backdrop of confirmation hearings for the first Black female to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, chair Kamia Brown and three other Black women lawmakers have been elected leaders of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus.

Brown represents District 45, which includes parts of Apopka. She was first elected to the Florida House in 2016, according to her bio on the Florida House of Representatives’ website.

The lone male on the five-member leadership team, Democratic State Sen. Darryl Rouson, will serve as the vice-chair. Rouson represents part of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

The three other leaders are State Reps. Tracie Davis, secretary, of Duval; Marie Woodson, treasurer, of Broward, and Felicia Robinson, parliamentarian, of Broward and Miami-Dade.

Chairwoman Brown is an Orlando native and an Ocoee resident who has a passion for expanding affordable health care and improving the public education system in Florida.

Her career launched as a legislative aide for several members. Now, she’s in her last term, serving through November 8, and is running for a state Senate post.

State Rep. Patricia Williams, a member of the Black Caucus, told the Florida Phoenix in a text message that she believes Brown “will do a great job,” adding that they “share the same passion.” Williams is a Democrat representing part of Broward County.

During a speech in early March, Brown told Florida House members in the chamber that one of her main priorities as a legislator has been fighting for public education.

“Because that was the first issue that captured me as an intern in 2001,” she said. “Our public schools are the foundation of our communities, preparing our children for our future so I will continue to fight.”

As lawmakers in the state continue to reject full Medicaid expansion, Brown said, “health care access has been one of my biggest priorities.”

“I will continue to fight for the expansion of Medicaid,” she added during her speech.

Brown had pushed for the expansion of Medicaid coverage for pregnant women and their newborns, an initiative led by Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls in 2021.

According to her campaign website for the Florida Senate, Brown is a mother and community advocate “who has made it her life’s work to serve her community.” She graduated from Florida A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in political science.

“When I was a little girl, my aspirations were simply to just grow up to be healthy, happy, and whole,” Brown said in her speech in March.  “At my grandparents’ house, I was the only girl in the house full of brothers and boy cousins.”

Brown added: “My aspirations grew bigger than something I ever could have imagined. Today I proudly stand before you as the outgoing representative for state House District 45. I’ve been the legislator to the best district, in one of the greatest states, and one of the greatest countries in the world as a woman of color.”

The Florida Legislative Black Caucus is a political group that launched in 1964, to fight for policy initiatives and legislation that could benefit people of color throughout the state, according to its website.  “There are currently five senators, who make up about 13 percent of the Florida Senate, and 20 House members, who make up about 17 percent of the Florida House of Representatives,” according to a press release.

Meanwhile, the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson launched Monday, with lawmakers from the Senate Judiciary Committee offering opening remarks. Black Caucus members, such as state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, told the Phoenix how important Jackson’s confirmation would be for Black women.

If confirmed, Jackson, who originally is from Miami and graduated from Harvard Law School, would be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. She’s also served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, considered the nation’s second-highest court.

“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is imminently qualified and an excellent jurist whose presence will only enrich our esteemed United States Supreme Court,” said Driskell, a Democrat. “Her appointment represents the fulfillment of a dream that for too long had been deferred for Black women lawyers like me.”

Driskell added: “While we clearly still have a long way to go before nominations like Judge Brown Jackson’s are the rule and not the exception, all Americans should celebrate this quantum leap forward in our history. I commend President Joe Biden for honoring his campaign promise and for bringing this historically momentous occasion to fruition.”

Rep. Williams said: “I am excited about Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Currently, there’s not been a single Black woman in the (U.S.)  Supreme Court. Judge Jackson, can be the first, this will be an historical moment for the U.S.”