After the Democratic takeover of the House in 2006, Tubbs Jones was named to Chair the House ethics Committee. She was the first African American Woman to hold that post, and as NPR’s Brian Naylor put it, she did not seem daunted by her new post.
Tubbs Jones: “Others coming behind me will be judged by what I do and how I handle this job. So it’s additional responsibility, but I accept it. I thank God that I’m a gorgeous African- American woman and will have the opportunity to lead the discussion.”
She was a tireless advocate for issues affecting the African American communities she served, but she maintained that her agenda was no different from that of the public at large.
Tubbs Jones: “Not necessarily a different agenda, but an agenda that is inclusive. Because many times the agenda of America does not include African- Americans, and that is why we’ve had to go to court to get equality. That is why we’ve had to seek spokespersons on our behalf. That is why we’ve had to protest and so forth and so on. So it may not be different, but the access is different.”