About
The Rainey Center is a public policy research organization and leadership community of elected officials across the nation cultivating new ideas and new leadership to address America’s most pressing challenges.
We work across political divides, on difficult issues, towards a bright future of opportunity for all Americans.
“I can only raise my voice, and I would do it if it were the last time I ever did it, in defense of my rights and in the interests of my oppressed people.”
— Rep. Rainey, 1877
Who is our namesake?
Congressman Joseph Hayne Rainey of South Carolina was born enslaved in 1832.
He was the first Black man to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, the first to preside over the House, and the longest-serving Black lawmaker during Reconstruction.
