JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – It was a historic day at the Mississippi State Capitol on Tuesday, February 13. Longtime Jackson Rep. Alyce Clarke (D-District 69) had her portrait unveiled.
Clarke represented the district for 38 years. She was the first Black woman elected to the Mississippi Legislature.
The 84-year-old advocated for the establishment of drug courts, federal nutrition programs and education. She is credited with the creation of the Mississippi Lottery.
Clarke decided not to seek re-election in 2023.
“When I got here, there were three ladies in the legislature, and that wasn’t an easy task. But I’d like you to know I’ve had some good days, and I’ve had some bad days, but thank God I’ve had more good days than bad days. And I’d like to just thank everybody who’s here. I’d like to thank everybody who’s helped me to get there because I did nothing by myself. It was with the help of others that I was able to accomplish anything,” Clarke said.
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Former State Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, inspects her official portrait in the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Clarke is
the first woman and the first African American to have a portrait displayed in the state Capitol. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
It was a historic day at the Mississippi State Capitol on Tuesday, February 13. Longtime Jackson Rep. Alyce Clarke (D-District 69) had her portrait unveiled. (WJTV) -
It was a historic day at the Mississippi State Capitol on Tuesday, February 13. Longtime Jackson Rep. Alyce Clarke (D-District 69) had her portrait unveiled. (WJTV) -
Former State Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, laughs at comments made during a ceremony for the unveiling of her official portrait in the Mississippi State
Capitol in Jackson, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Clarke is the first woman and the first African American to have a portrait displayed in the state Capitol. (AP
Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) -
Former State Rep. Alyce Clarke, D-Jackson, speaks about being honored with her official portrait in the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Tuesday, Feb.
13, 2024. Clarke is the first woman and the first African American to have a portrait displayed in the state Capitol. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
She was the first woman and first Black woman to have a portrait at the Mississippi State Capitol.
Other portraits in the Mississippi Capitol are of former governors and former House speakers, who were all white men.
The artist, Ryan Mack, said he based the portrait on a photo of Clarke from the mid-1980s.
“I’m a true believer and witness of the good she has done,” Mack said, citing her work on education and nutrition programs.
The first Black man to win a seat in the Mississippi Legislature in the 20th century was Robert Clark, no relation, a Democrat from Ebenezer who was elected to the House in 1967. He retired in December 2003, and a state government building in downtown Jackson was named for him the following year.
Alyce Clarke won a March 1985 special election, and another Black woman, Democrat Alice Harden of Jackson, won a seat in the Mississippi Senate two years later.
Several other Black women have since been elected to Mississippi’s 122-member House and 52-member Senate, but women remain a small minority in both chambers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.