| Sumario: | An understudied dimension of legislative activity in political science are policies that do not change the material conditions for constituents, even though these policies affirm and respond to the needs and wants of the constituents. We find that symbolic legislation is a useful tool for Black lawmakers to give voice to Black constituent preferences or demonstrate that their concerns really matter in the statehouse. In turn, symbolic legislation is a mechanism for legislators to communicate their racial identity through bill sponsorship, credit claiming for individual legislative successes, and casting votes. Using three in-depth narratives of Black lawmakers in the Maryland statehouse, we focus on bill sponsorship of symbolic legislation to demonstrate the role that racial identity plays for state legislators.
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