As the spread of coronavirus in America continues to impact communities of color, the effect on the prison system has been widely underscored. Inmates and staff have been exposed to COVID-19 at alarming rates, with minimal relief, despite the directive to reduce prison populations by releasing low-risk offenders. However, when the release of Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager for President Trump, takes priority over the needs of everyone else, it is evident that the executive powers have...
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Her name was Breonna Taylor; her “crime,” sleeping in the comfort of her home while Black in America. She was a first responder who answered the call when a global pandemic hit her community. She served as an EMT, saving lives right alongside police every day. The murder of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, is sadly just the latest case of police brutality gaining national attention. Yet again, the recipient of that brutality is Black. Breonna was murdered in March, yet this incident only ...
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As the House introduces The Heroes Act to provide much-needed federal resources to our nation, the CBC worked closely with leadership to develop legislation that responded to the urgent needs of Black America, who have been hit the hardest by coronavirus. The Congressional Black Caucus is calling for targeted comprehensive intervention through city, county, or state government public health agencies in communities where there is a disproportionate infection and death rates. This will include rap...
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The Chairs of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC)—also known as the Congressional Tri-Caucus, have released the following statement on the racially motivated killing of Ahmaud Arbery, who was targeted by two white men, while jogging in his neighborhood: “On February 23, 2020, a young Ahmaud Arbery’s life was cut short because two White men were uncomfortable with an unarmed Black man jogging in...
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On February 23, Ahmaud Arbery, a young, vibrant Black man was killed in broad daylight, in Brunswick, Georgia. His crime? He was jogging while Black in his neighborhood. The killing of Ahmaud Arbery shows us that the spirit of lynching is still alive and well in our nation and something that we cannot tolerate. It has been more than ten weeks and no arrests have been made. While the Arbery family deals with the heartache, the murderers Greg McMichael and his son, Travis McMichael, are home livin...
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Today, we join the world in mourning the passing of Civil Rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery. Rev. Lowery, fondly known as the “dean” of the civil rights movement, was a pastor, an organizer of the March on Washington, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, leader of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. In 2009, Rev. Lowery delivered the benediction at President Obama’s Inauguration and later that year President Oba...
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The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released the following statement after the bipartisan Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, passed the Senate: “When America catches a cold, Black America catches pneumonia. So as America continues to deal with the impact of the coronavirus health crisis, the CBC is fighting for bold solutions to support the needs of Black families, seniors, workers, businesses, and communities.” On March 20, the CBC submitted an extensive 11-page prop...
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Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) issued the following statement on the passing of Airickca Gordon Taylor, cousin of Emmett Till. “It is with great sadness that the Congressional Black Caucus learns of the passing of Airickca Gordon Taylor, cousin of Emmett Till. Mrs. Gordon Taylor was known for her work speaking out against racial violence, her work with families also impacted by hate crimes, and her work with young people. In her role as executive director of the Mamie Till Mobley M...
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The Congressional Black Caucus released the following statement following the House Passage of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act, legislation that would make lynching a crime under federal law. “Today, under the leadership of Representative Bobby Rush (IL-01), and three other Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the House of Representatives finally passed legislation to address the heinous act of lynching by making it a federal crime. In fact, the first bill to outlaw lynching was introduce...
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The Congressional Black Caucus released the following statement following the announcement by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that two members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and Val Demings (FL-10), as managers for the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump in the United States Senate: “As the conscience of the Congress, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Representatives Jeffries and Demings, have worked tirelessly to ensure that our dem...
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