In 2021 and 2022 during deliberations on how to redraw New Jersey legislative district boundaries, there was much discussion about providing opportunities for people of color to win seats in the Senate and Assembly to represent the state’s increasingly diverse population.
Few of those opportunities turned into reality.
The 221st Legislature that takes office at noon Tuesday has only one more person of color than its predecessor and still falls far short of representing the state’s growing numbers of Hispanic and Asian residents, in particular.