Ellington

During a heated debate in early April over a bill to implement the voter-identification law voters said they wanted last fall, Sen. Kenneth Wayne Jones, a Democrat from Canton, warned that attempts to restrict minority voting rights always end up on the wrong side of history.

"We beat you every time. We're gonna beat you this time," Jones said on the Senate floor.

He's got his work cut out for him. This week, Jones' colleagues elected him to chair the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus through the rest of his term, which concludes in 2014. Jones has served as interim chairman since May.

"I feel that under my direction, we will advocate for justice and equality in the interest of all who deserve fair representation," Jones said in a press release.

In the current legislative session that is drawing to a close this week, African American lawmakers have been vocal in opposing voter ID and efforts to introduce stringent anti-undocumented immigrant laws to the state. African American women lawmakers have been the loudest voice speaking out against bills that would restrict access to reproductive-health services for poor women.

Jones, a Jackson State University graduate, said he plans to elevate the profile of the caucus by getting members involved with each other's districts.