Black Women’s Agenda Setting in the Maryland State Legislature

Abstract

African American women state legislators’ political agendas are assumed to reflect the distinct interests and substantive needs of African Americans, women, and African American women as unique constituencies. We hypothesize that African American women elected to state legislatures are more likely than African American men, White women, and White men, to advocate for issues that affect racial/ethnic minorities, women, and African American women. Using bill sponsorship as a measure of individual contributions to the legislative agenda, the current study examined the extent to which legislators from different racial and gender identity groups sponsor bills that directly and indirectly impact marginalized groups. Data from Maryland’s 2005 and 20011 legislative sessions were analyzed, and results suggest that issues facing marginalized groups were sponsored by legislators from various backgrounds, yet African American women’s contribution is unique and speaks to the importance of the presence of diversity in state legislatures.