Grand Rapids' Winnie Brinks for the Senate
Neither are combative or come with a history of corruption.
Democratic state Rep. Joe Tate made history Thursday after he was selected to lead the Michigan House of Representatives in the upcoming 102nd Legislature as the first Black person ever to do so.
Tate, D-Detroit, is additionally not only the first Black lawmaker to become speaker of the House but the first Black lawmaker to ever oversee either of Michigan’s legislative chambers.
His change in role wasn’t the only piece of history Democrats made Thursday, Nov. 10. Senate Democrats, who held their elections earlier that same day, also made history in electing Sen. Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, as the first woman to ever hold the position of Senate majority leader in state history.