First African-American Woman Becomes Ohio House Democratic Leader

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Contact: TaKeysha Sheppard Cheney

Executive Director, OLBC

(614) 746-1363 cell

(614) 341-6912 office

staff@olbc1967.org

Thursday, January 12, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

First African-American Woman Becomes Ohio House Democratic Leader

The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus Celebrates the Selection of

State Representative Joyce Beatty

Columbus – Members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus (OLBC) are celebrating the selection of State Representative Joyce Beatty (D-Columbus) to serve as the Ohio House Democratic Leader. She is the first African-American woman to hold this position.

A strong advocate for Ohio, Beatty is a vigorous champion of healthcare and education issues and has worked diligently to expand business creation and opportunity. Beatty, who grew up in Dayton, is married to former State Representative Otto Beatty, Jr.

"Members of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus are honored to have been able to rally around Representative Beatty to help this historic moment come to fruition," said Representative Barbara Sykes (D-Akron) and OLBC President. "There is no doubt that her exemplary leadership will have a much broader impact on the lives of all Ohioans."

"We’re all in this together. It doesn’t matter if you are from a red county or a blue county if you can’t afford to pay the mortgage, or send your daughter to college, or see the doctor,” Beatty said. “After hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, it’s clear we need change. I’m honored to be able to lead that fight for change in the Statehouse.”

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OLBC was founded in 1967 by state legislators to recognize and address the hopes, aspirations and needs of African Americans in Ohio. OLBC aims to promote, foster, and sponsor the education of African Americans and other minorities on the importance of involvement in government in order to secure a fair share of government services for their communities. Today, OLBC has eighteen members - four serve in the Ohio Senate and fourteen serve in the Ohio House of Representatives.