On Wednesday, Hakeem Jeffries was unanimously elected as the Democratic Party's top leader in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in January, making him the first Black American to hold such a high-ranking position in Congress.
The vote by Jeffries' fellow Democrats also marked the rise of a younger generation of leaders in the 435-member House and the end of the Nancy Pelosi era and control by other Democrats in their 80s.
Jeffries, a 52-year-old New Yorker, will hold the position of House Democratic leader for the 118th Congress that convenes on Jan. 3.
Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was not surprised that Jeffries, a fellow Brooklynite, was chosen.
Coming from Brooklyn means "you learn how to work with all kinds of different people. You learn how to stand your ground. You learn to not take things personally," Schumer said on Wednesday, adding that Jeffries "exemplifies all these traits."
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