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Over the summer, the Washington Post published a chart which addressed this very issue; it's available online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp- srv/politics/interactives/campaign08/black_history/. It lacks specific detail but may be enough to answer your question. As I read the chart, African American represnetation in the 1870s peaked at 6 members of the House and 1 Senator. This was matched by the late '60s - i.e., when Edward Brooke was elected to the Senate from Massachusetts in 1966. (Although it should be noted that even as the number of African- American members of the House continued to increase, there were no Senators after Brooke'sdefeat by Paul Tsongas in 1978 until Carol Mosley-Braun was elected, and she too failed to keep her seat. Ironically, Obama's likely election to the Preisdency will also zero-out the Senate.) Jol A. Silversmith Associate, Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger, LLP
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