WE Blog

As Black History Month came to an end, state Sen. David Haley, D-Kansas City, took a few minutes to pay homage to African-Americans elected to state office in Kansas, including his father, former state Sen. George Haley. Doing so also meant celebrating a number of Wichitans, from former Sens. Curtis McClinton and U.L “Rip” Gooch (in photo) to current Sen. Donald Betts. “Since 1964, with the exception of two years fulfilling an unexpired term, a senator of color has represented part of Sedgwick County until this day, almost 45 years later,” Haley observed. And “the longest elected tenure of a black statesman to date,” he said, was that of Wichita’s Billy McCray, whose House and Senate service spanned 1967-84. Haley also noted that to win, every African-American elected in Kansas has relied upon votes of some white constituents. “To me, this underscores the character of Kansas and what Kansans really believe in: that it is more about what each person can bring to the Legislature and their content instead of their race and culture.”