WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Congressional Black Caucus is a nearly 60-member group of U.S. representatives and U.S. senators dedicated to creating more opportunity and equality for Black Americans.

Come January, on the start of the caucus’ 50th anniversary, Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty will take over as its chair.

“It’s not like I’m starting from scratch. I’m going to build on the 50-year foundation,” Beatty said in a virtual interview Saturday, her first TV interview since being elected chair.

The Columbus Democrat, who represents Ohio’s 3rd District, has been vice-chair of the caucus for the last two years and is a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

In the interview, Beatty explained what she will prioritize following a year that saw nationwide protests after the murder of George Floyd and the start of the coronavirus pandemic that has disproportionately impacted Black Americans.

“It is a three-pronged pandemic, when you look at the health care of course, but it is also an economic pandemic that is married to that, and it’s a social injustice pandemic that’s married to that, so it’s a three-pronged number one for the first 100 days of my leadership,” she said.

Beatty becomes the third Ohioan to chair the CBC. Cleveland Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D, 11th Congressional District) served a few years back, and the late Congressman Louis Stokes helped found the caucus.

Capri Cafaro, a professor at American University in Washington and a former Ohio state senator, said the group’s influence has grown in the last half century.

“Both the majority and the minority, whether you’re Democrat or Republican, really do need to involve the Congressional Black Caucus because they are so numerous and because they do hold so much sway politically, as well as policy-wise, when it comes to either developing a bill or getting the votes to make sure that it passes,” Cafaro said in a Skype interview Monday.

Beatty said she’s already been in touch with constituents back in her district to help form her platform as chair.

She also received a congratulatory call from Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who has been a member of the CBC during her time as senator and will become the first Black vice president in U.S. history.

“She knows the issues and she’s going to be in the highest position as a go-to person for us,” Beatty said.

With control of the Senate still up in the air, Beatty is waiting to see how much she’ll have to work across the aisle to get CBC-backed legislation signed into law.

Beatty supports President-elect Joe Biden, and when asked if he, as an older white man, could be limited in understanding the challenges minorities face, she said she sees promise.

“I am very comfortable when I look at what he has proposed thus far,” Beatty said. “Now, that does not mean that he won’t get challenged or questioned or that we will be silent on issues.”

In addition to fighting the pandemic and reforming the criminal justice system, the Congressional Black Caucus also works to combat voter suppression and expand access to education.