photo credit: Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
From September 24th to 28th, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation hosted its annual Legislative Conference (often affectionately referred to as ALC or CBC Week). More than 15,000 Black professionals of all ages, regions, and interest groups gathered at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, for four days of education, fellowship, celebration, and strategy.
Established in 1976 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research and educational institute, the Foundation operates with a mission to develop leaders, inform policy, and educate the public. In collaboration with the representatives who make up the Congressional Black Caucus, the CBCF team organizes dozens of panels and workshops focused on advancing the interests of the global Black community.
Representing The Capital Market at ALC
Through the Emerging Leaders pathway, which offers a discounted registration rate for young professionals, I had the pleasure of attending the conference in my capacity as The Capital Market’s Environment and Food Justice Fellow.
Although this was not my first time attending ALC, recent shifts in the political landscape certainly cast a shadow over what is traditionally a very joyous few days in our nation’s capital. However, after just a few sessions, it became abundantly clear that gathering thousands of Black political minds under one roof served as the perfect catalyst for transforming our grief into collective action.
I was particularly energized by the number of environmental and agricultural sessions and brain trusts included in this year’s agenda. Despite the fact that Black communities are disproportionately affected by climate change, the most recent study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that Black professionals make up only 5% of the environmental science workforce.
The panels highlighted the experiences of Black farmers enduring disproportionately long wait times to receive their farm numbers, the outsized impact of climate change on urban farms, the institutional and cultural barriers that prevent Black farmers from becoming organically certified, and the alarming rise in suicide and bankruptcy rates among Black farmers. Each session concluded with specific, actionable, and evidence-based policy recommendations, as well as tangible steps for community action.
Lessons for The Capital Market’s Mission
During my time with TCM, I will be supporting projects that range from honoring and uplifting Black Farmers in our community to teaching individuals how to start their own independent planting projects on their own properties. The experts that I was able to connect with at ALC breathed so much life and so many previously unknown resources into the work that we plan on doing at the Market, which will prove to be truly invaluable as I undertake my service year.
Now that CBC Week has concluded, I can wholeheartedly affirm that it met (and exceeded!) the call of this year’s theme: Made for This Moment: Power, Policy, and Progress. As we navigate an increasingly volatile political landscape, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation continues to serve as a vital space for coalition-building, mobilization, and celebration. I leave this year’s conference more energized than ever to continue advancing environmental and food justice for our community in Prince George’s County.
