4:14
This year, the Washington State Legislature has welcomed a record number of lawmakers of color, including a record number of Black lawmakers who are all Democrats.
The increasing diversity comes in the wake of last year’s civil rights protests and amid ongoing demands for police accountability and racial justice.
It also comes as Gov. Jay Inslee and majority Democrats in the Legislature are pledging to apply an “equity lens” to their budgeting and policy making.
In December, Inslee unveiled what he called a “historic equity policy package” for the upcoming legislative session. Among his proposals was to create an independent office to investigate police excessive force, fund a new state office of equity, and establish Juneteenth as a state holiday to celebrate the end of American chattel slavery.