African American Lawmakers In Texas Share Insights On Governing

In honor of Black History Month, AARP Texas reached out to a few state and federal lawmakers to share their stories about why they decided to run for office, their priorities, and what Texans aged 50-plus can do to get involved in politics.

State House of Representative Garnet Coleman (Texas House District 147): Elected in 1991, Texas House of Representative Garnet Coleman has served as chair of the House County Affairs Committee since 2009. He has spent time-fighting for children to have access to health insurance.

State Senator Royce West (District 23): Senator West was first elected to represent District 23 in the Texas Senate in 1992. During his tenure, Senator West has advocated for young people, public education, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and elevating marginalized communities.

Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis (Harris County Commissioner Precinct 1): During his tenure as Commissioner, Ellis has helped secure flood equity guidelines, stronger worker protections, and COVID-19 recovery funding. Before serving as a Harris County Commissioner, Mr. Ellis represented Texas' 13th state senate district from 1990 to 2017.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson: In 2019, Mayor Johnson was elected as the 60th Mayor of Dallas. His political experience includes being a member of the Texas House of Representatives from April 2010 to June 2019.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019. Mayor Turner has helped combat homelessness, resolve budget issues, and help Houstonians get through natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey. He currently leads Houston’s response to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Houston Councilmember Letitia Plummer: As City of Houston Council Member, At-Large Position 4, Ms. Plummer has worked on several initiatives, including her 'Feed the Need Program,' and continues to work on long term, sustainable solutions for food deserts. She advocates for criminal justice reform and has shared her personal experience as a COVID-19 patient. Her latest initiative involves an Apartment Inspection Reform ordinance to improve Houston's tenants' quality of life and habitability.

What made you decide to run for office?

Rep. Coleman:  I was fortunate to work for and know Congressman Mickey Leland, and I also got to know Congressman Craig Washington. Both started in the Texas House, and I got to see firsthand how

State Rep. Garnet Coleman

through elected office, they were able to serve their communities and use government to better the community. I always knew that I wanted to serve my community through government, and I was lucky enough to be able to do it as an elected member of the Texas House.

Senator West: I first ran for state senate because I saw, from my time as a prosecutor and as someone involved in government, a lot of things that needed to be changed to help better the lives of the people of Texas. I've continued to run for office because my experience and ability to build diverse to accomplish important goals has proven to be an asset to the people of Senate District 23.

Commissioner Ellis: I have always believed that the role of government is to guarantee that everyone has the opportunity and ability to build a better future. I got into politics because I felt residents in underserved areas, especially African Americans and other people of color, needed a voice who understood their concerns and could protect their interests. When I was first elected to public office as a Houston City Councilman, there weren’t too many people of color holding key offices in Texas. Therefore, minorities had no one to fight for their concerns at City Hall, Texas House or Congress.

Dallas Mayor Johnson: In my first race, I decided to run for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives because I had lost faith in the incumbent, who was under federal indictment in a corruption case. Despite a lack of support from some of the traditional political power brokers, who stuck with the incumbent, I prevailed. I ran for mayor about a decade later when it was an open seat. The field was crowded, but I had a vision for what Dallas — a city that I have called home for my entire life — needed from its mayor going forward at a critical point in its history. And I felt I was uniquely able to provide it.

Houston Mayor Turner: When I first ran for the Texas House, I was the first person of color to win in what was a majority Anglo district. Not everyone voted for me, but when the race was over it was my commitment to representing my entire district. And for an additional 12 times, the people of District 139 elected me to represent them. I decided to run for mayor of Houston to represent all Houstonians. I am a true believer that if we dare to dream beyond our current City’s conditions if we work hard, and if we put aside our biases and recognize that no one person can do it by himself, we can be a bigger Houston, a bigger city and we can even rise above our own individual personalities.

Houston Councilmember Plummer: I grew up listening to stories from Grams, my late grandmother, who told us how she and my grandfather took every opportunity to fight for equality. When my grandparents tried to vote in the 1940s, in Alabama, and they were denied, they were the first people to file a voting rights lawsuit. Later, as the first Black investigator for the Harris County DA’s office, he fought to integrate the Harris County Courthouse cafeteria. Uncle Mickey Leland was a constant figure in my life until he passed, and his work inspired me. These are some of the influential people that inspired me to run for office so that I could ensure that in areas such as housing, business, and health, I could legislate for equity. 

What have been your priorities as an elected official?

Rep. Coleman:  My priority has always been to serve the community. That took the form of making sure people had access to high-quality affordable healthcare, had great education both in public schools and access to affordable higher education, and had economic opportunity by being able to have gotten and get to quality jobs and affordable housing.

Senator West: My priorities as an elected official have included public and education, reform of our foster care system, and criminal justice reform. Over many years as a state senator, I have worked on issues as diverse as telephone access for rural areas to childcare.

Among my education priorities have been to help make higher education accessible to more students across the state. My work on the Top Ten Percent Rule helped both students of color and rural students have a better shot at admission to our state's premier research institutions. My work to bring a public law school and public, four-year university to Dallas in my district helped not only students across Dallas County, but students seeking admission to a public law school across north and east Texas. The University of North Texas School of Law at Dallas is the only law school north of Austin that is a public, state school.

In the area of criminal justice reform, I worked hard to help end racial profiling in my early years in the Senate. I helped bring about the laws that require both dash cameras on police cars and for police to have body cameras on their person at all times. In more recent sessions, I have worked to outlaw the use of deadly chokeholds by law enforcement officers through my co-authorship of Senate Bill 69 in the 87th Regular Session.

In the area of foster care reform, I devised and passed Texas' Kinship Care Program, which has diverted thousands of Texas children away from our foster care system since its inception. Kinship Care allows for close relatives or friends of a family to take in a child who would otherwise be put in foster care and provides that family various temporary financial stipends to help them care for that child. The outcomes for the child are much better when that child is diverted away from foster care and placed with relatives or people the child knows.

Commissioner Ellis: Throughout my career, I have concentrated on inclusive economic growth that uplifts low-income communities and criminal justice reform that protects the rights of all people. As a Harris County Commissioner, I have focused on access to parks and green space in underserved neighborhoods and safe, affordable transportation options. Also, I have played a critical role in securing misdemeanor bail reform, flood equity guidelines, stronger worker protections and economic opportunity provisions, funding for indigent defense, and COVID-19 recovery funding for residents, small businesses, the homeless and students.

Dallas Mayor Johnson: In short, you could describe my agenda as mayor as one that is intent on providing safety and opportunity for our residents. Public safety is our top priority. We have bucked the national trends and reduced violent crime through a "kitchen sink" approach — which means we are supporting our police department's data-driven crime reduction strategies while also investing in community-based solutions. We have also stepped up our economic development efforts, worked to improve basic city services, passed historic ethics reforms. Now, we are focused on improving workforce development in our city and enhancing our offerings for our families.

Houston Mayor Turner: My signature priorities include Complete Communities, an initiative designed to revitalize and improve Houston’s most under-served neighborhoods by partnering with local stakeholders to leverage resources to create a more equitable and prosperous city for all Houstonians. My administration also created the Hire Houston Youth program to provide jobs and internship opportunities for thousands of young people each year. We have also forged public-private partnerships to improve neighborhood parks and expand Houston’s technology and innovation footprint. My administration also launched Houston’s first Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, meet the Paris Agreement goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, and lead the global energy transition.

Houston Councilmember Plummer: I have worked and continue to work on police reform, particularly mental health-related calls and how those are handled. During the pandemic, I addressed food insecurity by providing hot meals and groceries to families but have since moved on to looking at long-term sustainable solutions, such as urban gardens and solutions for Houston’s food deserts. In addition, we’ve been working on creating an ordinance (law) that would help Houston’s apartment renters live in more habitable conditions.

How can Black seniors in Texas participate more in the political process?

Rep. Coleman:  Always make sure to vote; determining who makes the laws is the biggest factor in the outcome of any law-making process. Beyond that, communicate directly with your elected official’s office. Our offices are there to serve you and take your input all year long, even if we are only in session for 140 days every two years.

Senator West: The main thing Black seniors must do to participate in the political process is make certain that they continue to maintain a photo identification, even after they stop driving, and continue to be registered to vote! With so many changes made to Texas' election laws in the last year that impact a senior's ability to use a mail-in ballot, and the more stringent identification requirements the legislature passed some years ago, my best advice is truly to keep your identification up to date, so you can make certain you are eligible to vote!

Aside from that, pay close attention to what is happening in your city, your county, and your state government. Pick up the phone and call your elected officials when you see something you do not like, or tell them when you see them taking actions that reflect your values. Engage with your elected leaders, not just when they are in Austin taking votes during session, but throughout the year.

Get involved in local political clubs or organizations, too. Involvement with groups like the AARP is also helpful, as AARP continually works on behalf of seniors across our state on issues of accessibility, healthcare, and more.

Commissioner Ellis: First and foremost, they can vote, which is one of the most important duties we can fulfill as citizens. It is a sacred right that many people have fought for and made great sacrifices to attain, defend, and uphold. Seniors, a powerful voting bloc, can make their voices known to legislators. They can participate in voter registration drives and other efforts to get people to vote.

Dallas Mayor Johnson: Black seniors have a wealth of life experience and perspectives that can be invaluable to governments at every level. Here are four ways to ensure your voice is heard:

• First, get engaged and get involved, especially at the local level, where many impactful decisions are made that will directly affect you, your family, and future generations.
• Second, vote. An election is the fastest way to make the change that you want to see in your city. Don't let anyone or anything deter you—your vote matters.
• Third and finally, never stop learning. Challenge your own preconceived notions and be willing to change your mind — or to stand your ground if that's where the facts take you.

Houston Mayor Turner: Voting is fundamental to our democracy and should be free, fair, and accessible for all eligible voters, including our black seniors in our state. It is never too late to start thinking about what we owe each other and what we can do to help our community. I encourage black seniors to stay engaged by writing to their federal and state senators, representatives, and their mayor about the issues that are important to them.

Houston Councilmember Plummer: Our seniors are very important. They are our connection to the past, but they also decide the strength of our future. It is important that our seniors engage with the younger generation, pass on our history our struggles and help our younger generations understand why being politically engaged and voting is so important. Help them understand the sacrifices of our ancestors and encourage them to become change agents in various fields so that the Black community can make strides in all areas and we can move towards equity.