#StayWoke

Dear Colleague: It has been an honor to serve as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for the 116th Congress. We began this Congress as the largest and most powerful Caucus in history, with 55 Members, five full Committee Chairs, and three Members of House Democratic Leadership. I am proud of all that we collectively accomplished with the power we held, from the passage of voting rights legislation and permanent funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to a national tou... Read more

Washington, D.C. – The Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Karen Bass, issued the statement below following the election of the Executive Committee for the 117th Congress by acclamation: “On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee for the 117th Congress! In 1971, thirteen Black Members of Congress organized their efforts to help improve the conditions of Black people in America and around the world. Though small in numb... Read more

Last night’s debate was just another example of President Trump’s inability to defend his record over the last four years as President and most especially admit that the 200,000 plus American lives that have been lost to COVID-19, could have been avoided, if his Administration had proactively responded earlier when he was notified of the imminent dangers of the disease. His lackluster leadership on even basic things like making face masks mandatory, ensuring that every American had access to fac... Read more

Don’t be fooled. In 39 days, you won’t hear another word about a Platinum Plan from Donald Trump. If he was serious about economic empowerment in Black communities, he would have listened to the Congressional Black Caucus when we met with him in 2017 to tell him our priorities. Instead, he never even read our 140-page proposal and went on to embolden white supremacists and give tax cuts to himself and his billionaire friends. And while Black people are being disproportionately hit by COVID-19, T... Read more

Leaders of the Congressional Tri-Caucus — composed of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Joaquin Castro (TX-20), and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37) — issued the following joint statement on the Trump administration’s memo to federal agencies canceling anti-racism training for government employees: “In the middle of a national reckoning on racial injustice, the Trump administration is trying t... Read more

Today, Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Samaria Rice, mother of Tamir Rice; and John Crawford, Jr., father of John Crawford III, released the following joint statement in support of the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, legislation to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and our communities: “The unjust killing of a loved one, especially at the hands of law enforcement, is a pain too many families have been forced to endure. ... Read more

Representative Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement on the eve of the Senate’s procedural vote on Senator Tim Scott’s Justice Act: “We have reached a critical juncture in our history where the steps we take can change a generation. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act championed by the Congressional Black Caucus is the first ever comprehensive legislation to reform law enforcement but also empower communities to reimagine what just and equitable ... Read more

Today, President Trump announced an Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities in response to national calls for law enforcement reform. The President’s Executive Order falls woefully short of the long overdue demands for accountability and transparency in our police departments. During the announcement today, the President claimed the Executive Order would set standards "as high and as strong as there is on Earth" on the use of force, and that he would prioritize federal grants to po... Read more

The Congressional Black Caucus is deeply concerned by the voter suppression activities witnessed during yesterday’s primary election in Georgia. Voters were met with excessively long lines, dysfunctional polling machines, ballot shortages, and unnecessary administrative delays. The scenes from Tuesday are very worrisome as we have seen repeated instances of voter suppression tactics deployed in primaries this year. Wisconsin and California both experienced issues around long wait times and ballo... Read more

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... Read more