Congressional Black Caucus conference begins amid concerns over Callais, Voting Rights Act

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th) says the annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s legislative conference is typically “a big homecoming,” but this year’s event could be the last for some members at a time when Black representation is under threat on Capitol Hill.

The conference that starts Wednesday comes just months after the U.S. Supreme Court’s April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais gutted racial protections in the Voting Rights Act, saying states’ use of race-based redistricting amounts to an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”

Analysts have said the seats of as many as 20 members of the 62-member Congressional Black Caucus could be threatened this year, as Republican states have rushed to redraw congressional boundaries less favorable to minority voters.

“We’re all angry about what happened with the Voting Rights Act. We’re all angry about what the Trump administration’s done,” Ivey said in an interview Monday.

“The Republicans’ goal at the federal and state level is to dilute Black votes so Blacks can’t [vote for] the people they want to represent them in Congress,” said Ivey, who will serve as honorary co-chair of this year’s conference with Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.).

A proud history and a cloudy future: Congressional Black Caucus hit by Supreme Court ruling

Callais will be just one of at least 100 panels at the 55th annual conference, which runs through this weekend, with sessions on voting, election integrity and fighting for representation in the Black community, among others.

A Thursday panel to discuss Callais and the Voting Right Act will hosted by Rep. Cleo Fields (D-La.), who announced in July that he would not seek reelection to Congress, after the Louisiana Legislature redrew Fields’ district to make it more favorable to a Republican candidate. Fields will instead run for a vacant Louisiana state Senate seat after the death of Sen. Larry Selders.

Ivey acknowledged a few other caucus members have been affected by redistricting, including Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.). The Alabama Legislature redrew Figures’ district to decrease the Black voting age population from nearly 49% of the district to 39%.

“But the key piece right now is to beat them [Republican candidates] at the ballot box,” Ivey said.

“We can still win a lot of those races, in part because Trump is so deeply under water. Also in part, because there’s a lot of African American voting blocs,” he said. “If we turn out and, as they say, ‘Show up and show out’ like we did for [former President Barack] Obama in 2008 and 2012, we can still win those races.”

A ‘silver lining’

Besides the more than 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, thousands of other elected officials, business and community leaders are expected to be in attendance at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. This year’s theme, “Rooted, Ready & Rising,” coincides with the 50th anniversary of the nonprofit caucus foundation that conducts policy research and implements programs.

This is the second year a Maryland lawmaker will serve as an honorary co-chair, after freshman Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) co-chaired last year with Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.). Alsobrooks and Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) made history last year when they became the only two Black women to serve at the same time in that chamber.

Sessions at this year’s conference will touch on the Trump administration’s continued push to eliminate various diversity programs, on protecting civil rights among the future of artificial intelligence and closing the racial wealth gap.

At least one session will feature an intimate conversation Friday with civil rights icon Andrew Young, who worked alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to help pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1964 Voting Rights Act.

Young resides in Georgia, one of nine states featured in a report called “Accelerating South” that highlights how the region has emerged as a center for political capital, economic investment and migration. Howard Franklin, president and CEO of Ohio River South, will be at this week’s conference in D.C., where he plans to distribute copies of the report.

“The silver lining I see for this reapportionment is that CBC has had upwards of 60-plus seats they could guarantee African American candidates,” Franklin said. “Now you will see a number of those seats [in jeopardy] and force some of the members to get better at communicating to voters that look like them.”

Other panels, events

The panels won’t strictly focus on the November general election and voting disenfranchisement.

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Florida) is scheduled to have a fireside chat Thursday with producers and songwriters Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. A few of the artists they worked with include Janet Jackson, New Edition and Rod Stewart.

Of course, a gathering with thousands of people won’t just be a bunch of panel discussions.

Receptions will be held throughout the city, such as one hosted Thursday by the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition, in partnership with EVNoire, on “Clean Mobility and Energy.” The reception will honor seven people for their work to advance transportation and energy that include former CBC Chair and Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (D) and Maryland Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain.

Besides urging Congressional Black Caucus members to push for more funding for energy and transportation to help underserved communities, coalition CEO and Executive Director Antoine Thompson said caucus members need to work to make Justice40 federal law. It was a Biden-era promise to make sure at least 40% of investments in clean energy and transportation go to disadvantaged communities.

“We need to negotiate that and make sure it’s embedded as a law, so that no other president can come in and just dismantle programs that are designed to help people,” Thompson said. “I think that would be one thing that we’d love to see the CBC to take advantage of.”

Ivey plans to host a panel Friday to encourage more Blacks into the space exploration field, with retired NASA astronauts Jeanette Epps and Victor Glover slated to appear.

While the conference will celebrate Black achievement, talk of the looming elections — and how Democrats can take control of at least one of chamber of Congress to rein in President Donald Trump (R) — won’t be far off.

Ivey pointed to Trump’s promise at last week’s GOP midterm convention in Dallas to give $5,000 to every American adult if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate in November.

“Essentially a bribe effort. If you vote for us, we’ll pay you. I think people see past that, okey-doke,” Ivey said. “I can’t wait for us to get the gavel so we can make sure there’s full investigations and full accountability on this type of misconduct.”