In state legislatures across the country, lawmakers of color are seizing on the nation’s reckoning with racial injustice. They’re insisting equity be considered in a wide range of legislation, from marijuana legalization to antidiscrimination protections related to people’s hairstyles. And in many states, they have gained the numbers and political clout to move ambitious legislation forward. In Connecticut, there are more racial minorities in legislative leadership positions than anytime in recent memory. The chairman of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus says his group’s mantra this year is no bill will pass if it’s not equitable to communities of color.
