Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus

The Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus is a bloc of aldermen in the Chicago City Council, designed with the goal of "representing the needs and interests of Chicago's Black communities."^[1] During the 2019–23 term, the caucus consists of 20 members, out of the council's 50 aldermen.^[1][2] As of June 2023, the chair of the caucus is Stephanie Coleman.^[3][4]

As of January 2020, the Caucus has 20 members.^[1]

In October 2019, the Black Caucus delayed a vote on a proposed ordinance authorizing legal cannabis dispensaries, expressing concerns that the ordinance would allow medical dispensaries to sell marijuana recreationally without a zoning change and that it did not have sufficient ownership requirements to enable minority business ownership.^[7] The ordinance passed despite the Caucus' opposition, although some Caucus members and Mayor Lightfoot did suggest that they would pursue amendments to the state cannabis law.^[8] After the city's first recreational dispensary license lottery, where only existing owners of medical dispensaries��who were all white—were eligible, the Black Caucus again proposed stalling sales in order to achieve the state law's social equity goals.^[9] In December 2019, Caucus chair Ervin and other members threatened to force a vote on an ordinance to stall sales until July 1 (six months after the originally scheduled date of January 1) in order to demand a minority ownership stake in the market.^[10][11] Such a vote to delay sales was held but failed to pass on December 18 in a 19–29 vote, with six members of the Black Caucus splitting to vote against the measure.^[12]

• Chicago City Council Democratic Socialist Caucus
• Chicago City Council Latino Caucus
• Chicago City Council LGBT Caucus
• Chicago City Council Progressive Reform Caucus