It’s not about the Confederate statues or the re-emerging debate over reparations for slavery. The struggle for black equality, 400 years after the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia, isn’t just about disparity in wealth, education and treatment by the criminal justice system, although those are top priorities of the Congressional Black Caucus in a U.S. House of Representatives that Democrats control for the first time in almost a decade. The solutions come down to elections and the po...
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On Friday, June 7, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)’s new Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health will convene for a second time in Washington, DC to hear from award winning actress and mental health advocate Taraji P. Henson. Henson founded The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in 2018 to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental illness in the African American community and specifically tackle the suicide rate among Black youth. Henson will share her personal perspective on managi...
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On the day that her “Can We Talk” Mental Health Conference weekend (June 7-9) is set to kick off in Washington, D.C., actress Taraji P. Henson will testify before the newly formed Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide. Henson, who has proven herself a fierce mental health advocate, will address the group at 9:30 am on Capitol Hill in support of the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s (BLHF) mission to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental illness in the African American co...
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Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) is finding herself in high demand heading into 2020. The new leader of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus received a phone call from Joe Biden, the former vice president and current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, just the other day. She caught up with Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), another White House hopeful, during a plane ride from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. And Bass regularly chats up Sen. Kamala Harris, a fellow Californ...
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On Tuesday, April 30, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) will launch a new, emergency taskforce focused on the growing problem of suicide and access to mental health care among Black youth. Chaired by Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), The CBC Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health will convene experts in Washington, DC and around the country, raise awareness among Members of Congress and staff, and identify legislative recommendations to address this mental health crisis....
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, marks the ninth anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. Despite President Trump’s constant attempts to undermine the ACA and strip American with pre-existing conditions of their protections, the CBC remains vigilant in its commitment to helping communities across the nation gain access to quality and affordable care. Congresswoman Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), issued the following statement comme...
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Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released a 3:26 mini documentary explaining what African Americans have lost under the Trump Administration and why it’s important for them to vote in November. From safety and security to healthcare, equality and justice and other issue areas, the mini documentary details how a number of policies and programs implemented by President Trump and his Administration have hurt African Americans and other marginalized communities. We Have Lost A Lot Video “...
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Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – led by CBC Chairman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02) – announced the introduction of the Jobs and Justice Act of 2018, comprehensive, 1,300-page legislation that would, if passed, increase the upward social mobility of Black families, and help ensure equal protection under the law. The CBC hopes the legislation will serve as a guiding light for any White House, major legislative caucus, or member of Congress who claims to care about the African-American ...
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Today, the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA-02), released the following statement in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) announcement of a new policy that will allow states – for the first time – to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. “Imposing work requirements on Medicaid recipients is counterproductive and most likely illegal. Medicaid recipients who are able to work are already working, and the law does ...
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Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan informing him that the caucus will only vote for a government spending bill that reauthorizes and fully funds the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers (CHCs) for five years and two years respectively without taking away funding from other programs that help children and families, such as those for vaccinations, youth suicide prevention, and substance abuse. “One day after givin...
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