2023 ALC Take Action Guide

congressional black caucus foundation Annual Legislative Conference

Take–Action Guide PRODUCED BY THE CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH

Thank you for attending the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 52nd Annual Legislative Conference.

As a Foundation, we recognize that convenings and conferences of this sort sometimes fall short of translating into actionable change. However, with such rich and meaningful discussions that take place across the Annual Legislative Conference weekend, our policy and research team has crafted this Take-Action Guide for participants to follow up on the impactful conversations during our sessions. For more ways to get involved and to learn how to take action in your communities, please view, save, and share our post-Annual Legislative Conference Take Action Guide.

Revving up Change: Charging Forward for Transportation Equity INFORMATION

RESOURCE

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law in November 2021, and represents comprehensive legislation addressing America's infrastructure needs, including transportation, energy, and climate resilience.

Learn more about the IIJA here.

Tool: The inclusion of electric vehicle training programs enhance job access. Companies like ChargerHelp!, Walker-Miller Energy Services, and Plug Zen LLC have resources for job training and retraining, especially for individuals who may be transitioning from traditional transportation roles to electric vehicle-related careers.

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program is a $5 billion initiative aimed at establishing a nationwide network of electric vehicle charging stations and providing opportunities for job creation, particularly in the conversion to zero and low emission buses.

Program: The Justice40 Initiative, which represents the Federal government’s goal that “40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution,” outlines the environmental impact of electric vehicles and how they contribute to reducing emissions.

The importance of equity in transportation extends beyond programs for electric vehicles: it's about ensuring equitable access to transportation in the community.

Program: Access resources and information related to the NEVI Program in order to understand its goals, provisions, and how it can benefit the community.

ACTION Community engagement: Involve Black neighborhoods in local decision-making on funding allocation and the development of electric vehicle infrastructure in their communities.

Center for Policy Analysis and Research Annual Legislative Conference | Take-Action Guide

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Building the Political Pipeline: Training the Next Generation of Civic Leaders INFORMATION Black women are the least funded candidates nationwide and are more likely to be funded against— despite being the backbone of political parties.

In all, 55 Black women from 23 states have served in Congress, including two Black women senators.

Funding is a major barrier that limits Black people from running for office because they’re often not perceived as legitimate, viable, and electable by the public. To combat these expenses, Black people must overamplify their skillsets and qualifications for office.

The top two priorities for young voters of color are discrimination and policing, since little federal advancement has occurred in these areas since the “racial reckoning” of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.

RESOURCE Website: Ready to Run® is a national network of non-partisan campaign training programs committed to electing more women to public office.

Website: Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races in order to build sustainable power for Democrats in all 50 states.

Tool: Citizens Connect has created the Election Participation Guide to help citizens get engaged, from registering to vote to becoming poll workers, in one central location.

ACTION Educate others and yourself!

Attend local council meetings and school board meeting in your community.

Educate students about the civic process.

Create easy-to-follow descriptions and qualifications for each elected position for the American public's understanding.

Get involved!

Make a voting plan today!

Support diverse candidates through donations or volunteering in their campaigns.

Center for Policy Analysis and Research Annual Legislative Conference | Take-Action Guide

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Global Advocacy: Crossing Borders, Building Bridges: The Critical Role of Black Migrants in Black Communities INFORMATION

RESOURCE

About 10% of the American immigrant population consists of Black migrants, including 20% who are children of Black migrants, totaling over 4.2 million individuals.

Tool: African Communities Together helps African immigrants find free or low-cost assistance with immigration, jobs, and other needs through their immigration services.

A majority of Black migrants have roots in Jamaica (17 percent), Haiti (16 percent), Nigeria (8 percent), and Ethiopia (6 percent).

Website: Black Alliance for Just Immigration has many resources available to the public, including published reports, community resource guides, and resources in multiple languages.

The concept of blackness encompasses a rich tapestry of experiences, cultures, and ethnicities woven together by a shared heritage of African ancestry. A prime example is the Garifuna people in the Afro-Latino community.

Black migrants played integral roles in the Civil Rights movement, making substantial contributions to higher education, religion, and the social justice movement.

Black migrants face challenges due to uneven skills distribution, resulting in underemployment and lower earnings. First generation Black migrants take at least 15–20 years for their earnings to catch up to their skills.

ACTION Get involved!

Donate to organizations that support Black immigrants, such as: The Black Migrant Power Fund UndocuBlack Network Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project (BLMP) Foster community connections and networks within the Black diaspora.

Support immigration policies that reduce disparities and promote equality and equity.

Text “DACAINFO” to 877-877 to demand action and get the latest DACA updates from United We Dream.

Amplify the voices and stories of Black immigrants.

Center for Policy Analysis and Research Annual Legislative Conference | Take-Action Guide

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From Awareness to Action: Unmasking Bias in Academic Medicine INFORMATION Current medical practices are rooted in racebased medicine and racial essentialism, which work to create distinctions based on race that lead to false assumptions, such as a racial basis for diseases. For example, nurses are taught to identify a patient’s race first and then make assumptions about health outcomes.

Due to unaddressed racial biases and the continued absence of people of color in technology spaces, racism is embedded in artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithms for patient outputs.

RESOURCE Program: The bipartisan legislation, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023, would combat the nation’s physician shortage and improve access to health care by expanding the number of Medicare-supported medical residency positions.

Tool: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has resources to support programs, institutions, and organizations in achieving health equity, found in their Equity Matters Equity Practice Toolkit.

Standardized tests continue to be a barrier for Black students’ matriculation through medical school. In 2021, the number of Black medical students increased due to the removal of the use of the MCAT score as an entry requirement.

When the MCAT was reimplemented, Black student numbers decreased again.

ACTION Support initiatives that aim to eliminate bias in medicine!

Advocate for medicinal practitioner training that focuses on anti-racism in education, racially concordant care, and patient advocacy and research.

Impact community change.

Measure health outcomes and support policies surrounding health disparities.

Center for Policy Analysis and Research Annual Legislative Conference | Take-Action Guide

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AI and the Future of Work in Black Communities INFORMATION Numerous major technology firms have finetuned their HR data, which can at times exhibit biases due to the individuals who conducted the training. It is important to fine-tune data so that we can facilitate meaningful experiences for everyone, regardless of race.

RESOURCE Program: The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) addresses digital equity through increasing access to technology-enabled research and learning opportunities.

A majority of developers are not Black, with only 10.2% of AI specialists identifying as Black or African American.

African American men face a higher likelihood of being affected by artificial intelligence through job displacement.

ACTION Increase resources and accessibility: Establish accessible and inclusive avenues into the artificial intelligence and technology industry, moving beyond pipelines that prioritize accolades and contribute to unequal representation.

Empower others!

Motivate young individuals to acquire skills and pursue careers in technology and artificial intelligencerelated fields.

Center for Policy Analysis and Research Annual Legislative Conference | Take-Action Guide

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National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice: Protecting Black Boy Joy INFORMATION Ninety percent of 8th grade Black male students read below proficiency level.

Influential figures like teachers, fathers, and mentors serve as powerful role models for Black boys.

Embracing Black culture through mediums like media, the arts, and music, coupled with the provision of safe spaces such as public libraries, sporting activities, therapy, and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) fosters a nurturing environment for Black men and boys.

RESOURCE Program: The Building Our Network of Diversity (BOND) Project is committed to advancing efforts to recruit, develop, support, and retain male educators of color.

Website: Character.org certifies schools and districts each year at the state level that have developed and implemented an intentional, proactive, and comprehensive approach that embeds character into all aspects of school life.

Panelist Recommended Books: Hoops, Walter Dean Myers Slam!, Walter Dean Myers The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee Native Son, Richard Wright Panelist Recommended Movies: Roots Boys in the Hood

ACTION Educate yourself: Actively engage with the historical and cultural context of Black men and boys.

Black boy joy should be inclusive of all sexual orientations, including queer identities, as well as individuals with disabilities, both physical and cognitive.

Increase the number of Black male teachers.

Establish and fund free after school programs for Black boys.

EMPOWERING ACTION-DRIVEN CHANGE For more information and questions about NREI, please email nrei@cbcfinc.org.

CBCFINC.ORG/NREI | #CBCFNREI