Learn how the Congressional Black Caucus stands as the moral authority in Congress, fighting for civil rights and social justice
People across the United States and the world have descended upon Washington for the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).
From Sept. 11 to 15, under the theme “From Vision to Victory: Amplifying Black Voices,” the Black Agenda will be front and center of intense policy discussions that “envision a world in which all communities have an equal voice in public policy through leadership cultivation, economic empowerment, and civic engagement.”
With the Nov. 5 presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump less than 60 days away, the ALC – the nation’s leading policy conference on issues impacting Black Americans and the global Black community – has taken on even greater importance.
In the late 1960s, Michigan Democratic Representative Charles Diggs proposed forming the Democratic Select Committee (DSG) in the U.S. Congress. He felt that the few Black Members of Congress needed to be organized formally to ensure that their constituencies’ concerns were effectively heard and listened to on the floors of the House and Senate.
At the time, Diggs, the first Black elected to Congress in 1954 from Michigan, said: “The sooner we can get organized for group action, the more effective we can become.”
The DSG officially became the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in 1971 and in addition to Diggs, the 13 founding members were U.S. Reps. Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), William L. Clay, III (D-MO.), George W. Collins (D-Ill.), John Conyers (D-MI), Ronald V. Dellums (D-CA), Augustus F. Hawkins (D-CA), Ralph H. Metcalfe (D-Ill.), Parren J. Mitchell (D-MD), Robert N.C. Nix, Sr. (D-PA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), Louis Stokes (D-OH), and Walter E. Fauntroy (D-DC).
Today, the 118th Congress consists of a historic 60 members, representing more than 120 million Americans, or 25.3% of the total U.S. population.
Rep. Stokes said of the CBC in 1971: “In addition to representing our individual districts, we have to assume the onerous burden of acting as congressmen-at-large (and women) for underrepresented around America.”
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