Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch (pictured) (D-Hillside), the first Black person to occupy that office, touched on race when he participated in a question-and-answer at the City Club of Chicago.

“I think there’s racism in America,” said Chris Welch (D-Hillside). “Racism still exists in this country, and i can tell you there are times when race has come into play, but that’s the story of my life as a Black man in America – not just as speaker, but as a Black man in America.”

The nation has seven Black speakers.

While he enjoys a supermajority – 78 Democrats to 40 Republicans in the chamber – Welch wants to build on his ranks.

“I don’t think people understand how hard they all work,” Welch said of what he calls “The Great 78.” “There’s a few that could work a little harder; you know my mantra, ‘Winners do the work.’ We have to put in the hours, knocking on doors and talking to folks 30, 40, 50 hours a week.”