The Generation X, hip-hop-quoting congressman who’s taking a big step

US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ election to be the first Black minority leader in American history reflects the potential, possibility and power of multiracial democracy. The 52-year-old congressman representing New York’s 8th Congressional District in Brooklyn and Queens, reflects both a generational and cultural shift from retiring House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose legendary tenure made her a trailblazing feminist icon and an impeccably dressed breaker of glass ceilings, unafraid of tussling in public with former President Donald Trump.

When Jeffries elucidated the case for impeaching Trump on the Senate floor in 2020, he ended by dropping a gem of a quote from the late, beloved Brooklyn-based rapper, the Notorious B.I.G. — “And if you don’t know, now you know.”

That a Generation X, hip-hop-quoting congressman has become the first Black person to lead a major party, with the potential of ascending to the speaker spot depending on the 2024 elections, is all the more remarkable considering tensions within the Democratic coalition and racial divisions with which America continues to wrestle.