It's been weeks since the November midterm election and history continues to be made. On Monday, New York's Senate voted to elect Andrea Stewart-Cousins to be the first woman majority leader when the new session begins in January. Not only is Stewart-Cousins the first woman to lead the chamber, but she is also the first Black woman to carry this honor, reports WRVO.
Stewart-Cousins, who has held her seat in the New York Senate for over a decade, reflected on her history-making achievement.
"This is an incredibly proud moment for me," she said. "It is a moment that I don’t believe, certainly when I came here, I would have ever dreamt of."
According to WSHU, one of the first initiatives Stewart-Cousins and the Democrats plan to enact is the Reproductive Health Act, which would codify the abortion rights in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade into New York law. She also plans on strengthening gun control laws, as well as establishing early voting in New York.
Before any of this takes place, Stewart-Cousins says she wants to first meet with her 15 new members to discuss many of these issues in depth.
"I think people have waited a long time for some of the very obvious things we should have been doing," she declared.
Stewart-Cousins is also earning high remarks from lawmakers on the right. According to The Journal News, Senate GOP Leader John Flanagan from Suffolk County called Stewart-Cousins a "class act and a truly extraordinary person," saying he is optimistic they can "ease the burden on hardworking taxpayers."
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo is singing Stewart-Cousins' praise, as well. Her appointment also marks the first time in Cuomo's eight-year tenure that the New York Legislature has a Democratic majority with which he can work.
"Today more than ever, we need people like Leader Stewart-Cousins to forge the path ahead for this great state," Cuomo, said in a statement to The Journal News.
"I look forward to working with her to stand up to the extreme conservative agenda and to fight together for our bold progressive priorities," he added.
#BlackExcellence, indeed.
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