CHICAGO — Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th) is the new chairman of the City Council's Black Caucus.
Members of the caucus elected Sawyer on Tuesday at their first meeting of the new term. Sawyer succeeds Ald. Howard Brookins (21st), who was recently appointed chairman of the Council Committee on Economic Capital and Technology Development.
Sawyer, whose ward includes parts of Englewood and Chatham, said there was still a need for a Black Caucus.
“The city faces serious financial challenges, and our communities are in need of economic investment, quality schools and safe streets,” Sawyer said.
“The Black Caucus must be a strong voice in the discussions about Chicago’s fiscal future. We cannot simply balance the bottom line without protecting our seniors and providing real opportunity for our young people.”
As chairman, Sawyer said he planned to help more black contractors do business with the city. Other goals include improving community-police relations and ensuring fair access to high-quality public schools in all of Chicago's neighborhoods.
He said that the city's black community was disproportionately affected by unemployment, school dropout rates and gun violence. The alderman also noted that a high percentage of African-Americans supported Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the 2015 mayoral election.
"The Black Caucus will play a crucial role in holding the mayor to the promises he made to the African-American community during the campaign," Sawyer said.
Ald. Jason Ervin (28th) was elected vice chairman of the caucus, and Sawyer said he was looking forward to working with him.
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