This book is the first to document Illinois African-American state lawmakers who have served in Illinois General Assembly from the Reconstruction Era to 2005. The book includes U.S. Senator Barack Obama; the late Mayor Harold Washington of Chicago; Secretary of State Jesse White; Senator Carol Moseley Braun; and John Thomas, the first African American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. This research can be readily used by students, scholars, and the general public.

This book is the first to document Illinois African-American state lawmakers who have served in Illinois General Assembly from the Reconstruction Era to 2005. The book includes U.S. Senator Barack Obama; the late Mayor Harold Washington of Chicago; Secretary of State Jesse White; Senator Carol Moseley Braun; and John Thomas, the first African American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. This research can be readily used by students, scholars, and the general public.