©2026 by The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization established in 1976, Our mission is to advance the global Black community by developing leaders, informing policy, and educating the public. We provide research, recommendations, and analysis on a variety of issues and policies facing the global Black community. Therefore, we refrain from advocating for legislation, lobbying, or displaying partisan bias in conflict with nonprofit stipulations. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. 1225 I Street, NW Washington, D.C., 20012 (202) 263-2800 Main (202) 775-0773 Fax CPAR@cbcfinc.org www.cbcfinc.org Opinions expressed in CBCF publications are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or the CBCF, its staff, officers, directors.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION
Editor-in-Chief Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D. Managing Editor Ashley Stewart, Ph.D. Copy Editor Andrea C. Smith, M.A. Editorial Board Niambi Carter, Ph.D. David Johns, Ph.D. Errol Anthony Henderson, Ph.D. Niaz Kasravi, Ph.D. Julianne Maleveaux, Ph.D. Roger Mitchell, Jr., MD Shayla Nunnally, Ph.D. Ravy K. Perry, Ph.D. Elsie Scott, Ph.D. Reginald Tucker-Seeley, M.A., Sc.M., Sc.D. Center for Policy Analysis and Research Editorial Team Jonathan M. Cox, Ph.D., Vice President Lauren Pearlman, Ph.D., Senior Research Manager Rayna Young, M.P.P. Research Analyst
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SCAN CODE TO ACCESS ALL HYPERLINKS AND LINKED REFERENCES THROUGHOUT THE BOOK.
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Acknowledgments This final commemorative issue of the Journal of Center for Policy Analysis and Research (JCPAR) reflects the dedication and tireless effort of many individuals whose contributions made this publication possible. We extend our sincere gratitude to the staff of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research, whose commitment to excellence and careful attention at every stage of production ensured this issue came to fruition. Special recognition is due to Congressional Relations, whose coordination with member offices was instrumental in bringing this issue to completion. We also wish to express our deepest appreciation to the members of the JCPAR Editorial Board. Their years of service, scholarly guidance, and unwavering commitment to rigorous, policyrelevant research have defined the standard of this journal from its founding. It has been a privilege to work alongside them. As we close this chapter, we are grateful to everyone who contributed to JCPAR's mission of advancing research that speaks to the communities and issues that matter most. The work documented in these pages endures. This publication was produced in part through grant funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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Contents 8 Foreword
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke - Foreword
10 Editorial Introduction
Dr. Ivory Toldson - The Words We Chose, the Worlds We Built
13 50 YEARS OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION
• Nicole Austin-Hillery – Leadership at the Intersection of Legacy and Urgency • Dr. Elsie L. Scott - The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Legacy of Black Leadership • Key Moments in CBC History • Vincent Evans - The Conscience of a Nation: Reflections on the Congressional Black Caucus and the 50-Year Legacy of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation • Dr. Jonathan M. Cox - Rooted and Reaching: CPAR Today and Tomorrow
31 VOTING RIGHTS AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
• Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell - Carrying the Torch Forward: Honoring Selma and the Continuing Fight for Voting Rights • LaTosha Brown - We Are the Builders: A Vision for Democracy’s Next 250 Years • Eric Holder – Joy Lives in the In-Between • Todd A. Cox – America Has Failed to Learn a Critical Lesson —Again • Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Voting Rights and Civic Engagement • Voting Rights Policy Landscape • Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean - Counting Out Democracy: How Census Threats and Voting Rights Erosion Converge to Weaken Black Political Power in a Period of Democratic Backsliding • Dr. Fred McBride – Black Voter Suppression: One Battle After Another
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57 ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT
• Dr. Julianne Malveaux – Humphrey–Hawkins, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Racial Limits of Full Employment • Dedrick Asante-Muhammad – United in Mission: The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation • Alphonso David – What Happens When Black Economic Power Is Undermined • Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Economic Advancement • Economic Advancement Policy Landscape • Dr. Andre M. Perry – “Our Ice is Just as Cold”: Why Black Business Ownership Must Be Central to the Black Wealth Agenda • Nikitra Bailey and Maureen Yap – The Trump Administration’s Attacks on Fair Housing and Lending Threaten Pathways to Homeownership and Economic Stability for Black Communities
82 WORKFORCE
• Congressman Steven Horsford - Building the Bridge: Workforce Development as the Path to an Equitable Future • Jocelyn Frye – The Push Back to the Past: Eroding the Black Middle Class • John Hope Bryant –The Drum Major Moment: Why AI Literacy Is the Next Chapter in the Civil Rights Movement • Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Workforce • Workforce Policy Landscape • Dr. Valerie Wilson –The Significance of Federal Employment in Raising Living Standards for Black Workers • Dr. Rashawn Ray and Dr. Terris Ross – Scaling to Policy: PlaceBased Investments to Address Racial Disparities
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105 EDUCATION
• Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw- Backtalking to the Backlash: Resisting Erasure in the Age of Trump • Becky Pringle - Without Public Education, Democracy Crumbles • Dr. David Johns – Beyond Policy Papers: Education as the Nexus of Black Liberation • Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Education • Education Policy Landscape • Dr. Ivory A. Toldson, Dr. Mercy Mugo, and Dr. Brittany Boyd Breaking the Binding Constraint: An Intersectional Policy Agenda for Scaling HBCU STEM Pathways • Dr. Shaun Harper – They, Too, Are Black: Intersectional Considerations of Black Disproportionality in Education Policymaking
131 HEALTHCARE
• Congresswoman Robin Kelly - A Mother’s Story and the Urgent Fight to End the Black Maternal Health Crisis • Dr. Marjorie Innocent – Health, Justice, and the Work Ahead • Sateria Venable – The Silent Burden We Carry: A Journey Toward Fibroid Equity • Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Healthcare • Healthcare Policy Landscape • Dr. Ashley Stewart – Black Youth Mental Health at a Crossroads: Trends, Structural Risks, and Policy Pathways for Sustained Equity
149 CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM
• Congressman Hank Johnson - Between Law and Justice: A Congressman’s Perspective on Reforming the Criminal Legal System • Damon T. Hewitt – Same Struggle, New Terrain: Fighting for a Fair Justice System in the Age of AI • Portia Allen-Kyle – What Shrinking the System Could Never Deliver
• Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on the Criminal Legal System • Criminal Legal System Policy Landscape • Nicole D. Porter – Demanding New Community Interventions to Meet the Spirit of Black Lives Matter • Dr. Sandhya Kajeepeta – What Happens When You Erase a Gang Database?
172 TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
• Dr. Nicol Turner Lee –Black Women and AI: Friend or Foe? • Ijeoma Mbamalu –Centering Communal Values and Agency in Design of Technology • Darrell Booker – A Signal Through The Wall: What Policy Makes Possible • Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Technology and Telecommunications • Technology & Telecommunications Policy Landscape • Dr. Yolanda Wiggins - Algorithmic Futures in Education: AI, Equity, and the Reshaping of Opportunity for Black Communities • Danielle A. (Davis) Canty, Esq. - From Intermediaries to Publishers: Section 230 in the Age of Generative AI
196 GLOBAL AFFAIRS • • • • • •
Congressman Gregory Meeks - Equitable Futures in Global Affairs Nana Gyamfi- Blackness Has No Border Dr. Amara C. Enyia - Building in an Age of Destruction Amplifying Black Perspectives: Spotlight on Global Affairs U.S.- Africa Economic Relations Policy Landscape Asha Castleberry Hernandez and Dr. Christopher Shell - Civil Rights Leadership and the Future of American Diplomacy • Dr. Shanelle Haile – After AGOA: Building Sustainable Infrastructure for U.S.-Africa Trade
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Foreword Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), I am honored to introduce this special commemorative issue of the Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research (JCPAR), published by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. This multidisciplinary journal continues a proud tradition of advancing scholarship, bold analysis, and forward-thinking policy solutions that inform action on the issues that most profoundly impact Black communities across our nation. As Chair of the CBC for the 119th Session of Congress, I am especially proud of how far our Caucus has come. From 13 visionary Members in 1971 to a historic 62 Members in 2026, we have continued the fight to dismantle systemic barriers, create equitable opportunities, and safeguard the rights of our communities. Throughout our nation’s history, the CBC has been called upon to confront countless threats to justice, equality, and democracy itself. Time and again, we have answered that call—standing in the breach to defend our communities and strengthen the democratic ideals that define our country at its best. Whether advancing economic justice, protecting voting rights, or expanding access to affordable health care, the CBC has remained steadfast in its mission. This issue of JCPAR arrives at a consequential moment for our nation. Under the shadow of the Donald Trump Administration, we face yet another pivotal chapter in our history—one that demands action. The challenges before us are complex and deeply rooted: racial wealth gaps that span generations, underinvestment in marginalized communities, and ongoing threats to our citizenship, voting and civil rights, indeed, our fundamental rights. Yet we are not powerless. We are organized, committed, and prepared to meet this moment.
working to ensure that opportunity is not limited by race, zip code, or circumstance. While progress has been made, the work continues. Our vision for an equitable future is one where every child—no matter their race or where they live—has access to a good quality education and a safe community; where economic opportunity is available to everyone; where health outcomes are not determined by race; and where justice is fair and equal. Reaching that future requires strong legislative action, collaboration across sectors, and a commitment to policies that put people over politics. I commend the authors, researchers, and experts who contributed to this issue. Thank you for your dedication to advancing ideas that
The CBC is using our collective power in Congress to advance policies that center the needs of Black America.
The CBC is using our collective power in Congress to advance policies that center the needs of Black America. We are pushing back against racial injustice, defending hard-won civil rights protections, and
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inform policy and strengthen our communities. The scholarship presented in this commemorative issue serves as both reflection and roadmap. It documents the realities our communities face while offering practical, evidence-based solutions to move us forward. It challenges us not only to confront inequity, but to advance an agenda that centers equity and justice as our North Star—and to turn research into results for the people we serve. The Struggle Continues. Best Wishes, U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) Chair, Congressional Black Caucus Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, represents New York’s Ninth Congressional District. She is a leading voice in technology and media policy, co-chairing the Smart Cities Caucus and founding the Multicultural Media Caucus to advance equity in telecom, media, and tech. Clarke has been a key advocate for the Affordable Connectivity Program, expanding broadband access nationwide. She also co-chairs the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls and the Medicare for All Caucus, advancing inclusive policies for underserved communities.
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The Words We Chose, the Worlds We Built Dr. Ivory A. Toldson The Room Where It Started Picture a conference table at the stately headquarters of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) in late 2017. A new administration occupies the White House. Executive orders roll back protections that took decades to secure. The question hanging in that room is not abstract. It is urgent, concrete, and loaded: What do we say now? Not what do we feel. Not what do we fear. What do we say, in print, under peer review, with data, for the record? That room produced the Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research (JCPAR). JCPAR did not emerge from a calm academic tradition of scheduled publication cycles. It emerged from necessity— because the language available to describe Black life in America had stopped keeping pace with the forces arrayed against it. This introduction marks the fourth major issue of JCPAR. It accompanies the CBCF’s fiftieth anniversary, organized under the banner Rooted. Ready. Rising. What follows is the journey that brought us here, and the road this issue opens ahead. The Lexicon We Inherited Language is not neutral. During the Obama administration, the mainstream vocabulary of race leaned heavily on a seductive premise: the post-racial narrative. Respectability politics reinforced that message, quietly accommodating the neoliberal economic structures that kept the racial wealth gap intact.
Then 2016 arrived. Black voter turnout dropped for the first time in twenty years. The old words, disparity, gap, underrepresentation, felt like whispering in a windstorm. We needed to stop avoiding the accurate ones. 2018: Naming What We Saw The inaugural issue, Defining the Black Agenda in a Post-Obama Era, arrived with a vocabulary designed to cut through euphemism. Dr. Elsie L. Scott edited a forum dedicated to the late Dr. Ronald W. Walters, giving us a term we desperately needed: policy racism - the process by which white nationalist ideologies translate into institutional practices to produce and sustain institutional racism. Dr. Adolphus G. Belk, Jr. applied Walters’s framework to introduce the word deconstruction, drawing a direct line between the rollback of civil rights policies and the violent dismantling of Black political power that followed Reconstruction after the Civil War. Dr. Robert C. Smith repositioned reparations from the fringe to the center, arguing that incremental liberalism could not close the racial wealth gap. Dr. Olugbenga Ajilore brought empirical weight to minority threat theory, showing that as communities of color expanded, so did militarized policing resources. Dr. Terri N. Watson expanded the vocabulary of the school-to-prison pipeline to include the intersectional experiences of Black girls. Together, these articles built a defense-oriented lexicon; a vocabulary engineered to protect Black communities in an increasingly hostile political environment. 2021: The Map Gets Bigger If 2018 was about defense, 2021 was about expansion. AfricaAmerica 2021: Re-Envisioning Liberation for the Global Black Diaspora
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blew open the geographic and conceptual boundaries of Black policy discourse, driven by two colliding forces: the COVID-19 pandemic and the global outrage following the murder of George Floyd. Dr. Tatiana Benjamin Griffiths Manning introduced secondary marginalization - how colorblind immigration advocacy worsens the vulnerabilities of Black immigrants, who face anti-Blackness within immigrant rights spaces and a punitive police state simultaneously. Drs. Michelle Morse, Jonas Attilus, Tinashe Goronga, Thomas Fisher, and Brooke Cunningham connected the global distribution of physicians to legacies of colonialism, framing inequitable medical access as a patient safety emergency driven by extractive colonial economics. Dr. Afia Zakiya introduced Black political ecology to the policy lexicon, framing the denial of clean water not as infrastructure failure but as deliberate human rights violation. Dr. Jameta Nicole Barlow and colleagues drew on Womanist modalities to demonstrate how the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade entrenched patriarchal structures that continue to compromise the health of Black women globally. Dr. Errol Henderson expanded the reparations discourse by linking restitution to multiracial democracy. The 2021 issue forced us to see that a lexicon confined to American borders cannot describe the full dimensions of Black life. 2024: The Machine Learns Our Biases The third issue, The Nexus: Defining the Moment, captured a paradox: the highest level of Black political representation since Reconstruction coexisting with unprecedented legislative attacks on Black history, voting rights, and economic mobility. Dr. Nicol Turner Lee introduced the vocabulary of algorithmic accountability into the Black policy agenda, warning that AI systems trained on biased data automate racial oppression at scale. The concept of faux-equity crystallized this threat: Michael Neal, Dr. Linna Zhu, and Dr. Vanessa G. Perry found a 43.1 percent error magnitude in automated home valuations in historically redlined,
majority-Black neighborhoods, compared to 12.5 percent in majoritywhite neighborhoods. The algorithm launders discrimination. Dr. Larissa Malone introduced whitelash to the academic lexicon; the organized legislative backlash against teaching systemic racism. Dr. Bettina L. Love responded with abolitionist teaching, grounded in the concept of spirit murdering - the daily, systemic assaults on the humanity of Black children within educational institutions. Love argues the system cannot be reformed; it must be abolished and replaced with environments centering Black joy and radical imagination. The 2024 lexicon forced a reckoning: the tools of oppression now operate at speeds and scales that outpace traditional advocacy. 2026: Building What Comes Next Rooted in Legacy, Ready for the Future arrives as the CBCF marks fifty years. The 2026 issue asks a different question: What do we build that lasts? Eric Holder and Dr. Fred McBride advance the voting rights lexicon toward combatting what they describe as the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” nature of post-Shelby v. Holder disenfranchisement. Dr. Julianne Malveaux interrogates the racial limits of full employment. Dr. Rashawn Ray focuses on scaling upstream policy models - signaling the maturation from identifying local grievances to demanding federal investment in scalable solutions. John Hope Bryant frames AI literacy as the next chapter in the civil rights movement. The 2026 issue sustains the diasporic consciousness of 2021: Dr. Shanelle Haile explores US-Africa trade relations, Nana Gyamfi asserts that Blackness has no border, and Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw’s analysis translates abolitionist frameworks into actionable policy resistance. Each contribution moves the journal’s lexicon from reaction to construction, from naming the wound to designing the healing system.
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What the Words Have Done Over four issues and nearly a decade, JCPAR has replaced the passive language of disparities with the active language of structures. Consider the trajectory: • 2018 gave us policy racism, deconstruction, and minority threat theory—words that named the machinery of rollback. • 2021 gave us secondary marginalization, Black political ecology, and medical racism—words that mapped the global dimensions of anti-Blackness. • 2024 gave us faux-equity, spirit murdering, and abolitionist teaching—words that confronted the digital and ideological evolution of white supremacy. • 2026 gives us scaling, futures, AI literacy as civil rights, and Blackness without borders—words that build forward. These are not abstract contributions. When a legislator drafts a bill to regulate automated home valuations, she reaches for faux-equity. When a school board debates discipline policy, advocates invoke spirit murdering. JCPAR has supplied the precise linguistic tools that activists, educators, and policymakers need to dismantle modern iterations of structural racism. The CBCF stands at fifty years—Rooted. Ready. Rising. Read Rooted in Legacy, Ready for the Future not as a collection of articles but as a blueprint. The lexicon of African American life is not a museum exhibit. It is a living, evolving instrument of power. This journal exists to sharpen it, test it, and place it in the hands of those who will use it to build a world that does not yet exist but must.
The lexicon of African American life is not a museum exhibit. It is a living, evolving instrument of power.
Dr. Ivory A. Toldson is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Center for Policy Analysis and Research and a professor at Howard University.
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OF T H E CONG RESSION A L B L AC K CAU C US FO U N DAT ION CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION | ROOTED IN LEGACY, READY FOR THE FUTURE: THE JCPAR COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE
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Leadership at the Intersection of Legacy and Urgency Nicole Austin-Hillery There are moments in history when the ground shifts beneath us—not always at once, but through an accumulation of decisions made in boardrooms, classrooms, marble halls, and courtrooms that quietly, and then ferociously, undo what generations of sacrifice have built. We are living in such a moment, one marked by profound challenges for underserved communities and communities of color. As the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) marks a halfcentury of impact, this milestone arrives at a pivotal time for the very communities CBCF was founded to support, uplift, and empower. While this period of change is destabilizing for many of us, it is also a moment for reflection and renewal, presenting an opportunity to once again make history that can move mountains. Belief in the power of people, community, and future generations are the hallmarks that grounded the founding of CBCF. Ironically, fifty years hence, those are the same beliefs and commitments that have undergirded our work over the last half century. They will serve as the blueprint for the work we must do to interrupt pernicious patterns that continue to harm our communities, but which, through the power of collective action and unified leadership, we will overcome. The mission is as it was then: to empower the global Black community and all communities that have been denied full access to opportunity through systems of discrimination, bias, and economic inequity, recognizing that when barriers are removed for the most marginalized, opportunity expands for everyone. What We Are Witnessing As a history major in college, I learned that challenges to progress are cyclical. When groups that have been historically oppressed find ways to overcome that oppression and gain major advancements,
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those advancements are often followed by a universal retrenchment, particularly for communities of color. Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of slavery, Black Americans achieved historic gains as citizenship was expanded, voting rights were secured, and Black leaders assumed political power at every level of government. Despite the progress of Reconstruction, those advances were met with a rapid and calculated destruction of that power and the imposition of racial segregation in the form of Jim Crow Laws. After the historic election of the nation’s first Black president and his service for two terms, the country was confronted with sobering and blatant attacks on Black progress and opportunity. The numbers tell the story. In employment, the gains made between 2020 and 2023 were historic. In April 2023, the Black unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent, the lowest recorded since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking the figure. The Black-white unemployment gap narrowed to just 1.6 percentage points, its smallest margin on record.1 Those gains are now at risk as targeted rollbacks of federal equity and DEI programs dismantle the accountability frameworks that made them possible. In housing, the tools crafted to address the legacy of redlining have been weakened or suspended. The gap in Black homeownership versus white homeownership remains at roughly 30 percentage points — a figure that is larger than the 27-point gap that existed in 1960, when housing discrimination was still legal and before the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968.2 Without enforcement, fair housing law becomes a waking dream that rapidly dissipates rather than a guarantee.
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In education, the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard did not only change most college enrollment policies, but it also changed who gets access to the rooms where leadership is made. Analysis of 2024 federal enrollment data found that Black enrollment at the top 50 most selective schools was down 27 percent.3 At institutions like Harvard, Princeton, and Amherst, Black enrollment dropped by roughly half in just two years.4 A professor of education at ACLU put it plainly: it takes only five to ten years of institutional backsliding to fundamentally reshape the next generation of leaders.5 In voting, erosion has been laser focused, systematic, and compounding. In 2013, the Supreme Court gutted the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. Brnovich v. DNC further constrained legal challenges to discriminatory voting laws in 2021. And on April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Louisiana v. Callais, our nation’s highest court all but finalized the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act when it opened the floodgates for states across the South and Southwest to reengineer legislative districts through redrawn maps that delivered what Justice Elena Kagan called in her dissent a ruling that renders Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act “all but a dead letter.”6 The Leadership this Moment Requires History teaches us not only to recognize backlash, but to understand what it demands of us. Periods of retrenchment have never marked the end of the story; they have often provided sharp clarity for the work ahead and strengthened the resolve required to meet it. What the founders of CBCF knew then, and we understand clearly now, is that progress is not self-sustaining. It requires courageous leadership, organized action, and a commitment to prepare those who will carry the work forward. Leadership is a collective responsibility to safeguard progress and foster civic engagement and participation. It requires us to provide pathways to opportunities for future generations who can be trained, exposed, and prepared, in real-time, and in real moments, to protect and lead not only the nation but the world. This was the hallmark of our founding, and it is vitally important in this moment of history
that we understand that as not only the founding purpose but the directive for the future. Leadership at this moment means everyone understands they have a role to play and an obligation to ensure that the hard-fought battles and achievements will not simply continue but will become evolutionary for the next generation. We no longer have the luxury of waiting and watching for others to lead the charge for change. We each have a duty to identify the gifts and expertise that lie within each of us and determine how we will assume leadership roles in our communities. We must become scholars of the systems we seek to change. This is the driving force behind the work of CBCF. We each must become experts in our own rights—fluent in the policy shifts and interpretations of law being used against us because fluency is the first step toward using the law and making the right policies work for us which is how we empower our communities. CBCF is committed to recruiting and relentlessly supporting all individuals who have too often been denied access and opportunities. By providing scholarships, internships, fellowships, and research initiatives, we unlock paths to leadership that might otherwise remain closed. The Foundation invests in building the next generation of leaders, but we need everyone to see this as our collective mission. Collective collaboration is the formula for our future success. We and you must be committed to preparing leaders for every area of power from school boards and city councils to corporate boardrooms and regulatory agencies. Whether in state legislatures or executive suites, these are the roles that draw the maps, fund the schools, direct capital, and set the labor standards that shape our daily lives. The courtrooms that rule against equitable systems were shaped by decades of judicial appointments; the legislative majorities that weakened the Voting Rights Act were built district by district. The economic barriers that stifle our growth were built with the same persistence. We must build our presence across every sector of business and government with that same radical deliberateness and precision. Most importantly, we must understand this mission as shared.
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The Way Forward Building leadership pipelines also means investing in the next generation of young leaders now and not waiting. At CBCF, we achieve this by fostering mentorship, civic education, and early exposure across all sectors from government to major corporations, developing their strengths and wisdom over time. Our shared legacy with emerging leaders should be more than just the weight of our losses. It should include a strong understanding of our triumphs and the sobering truth that the promise of democracy is not guaranteed. It is a project. And the young people we are investing in are the next chief stewards. The founders of CBCF who created the institution 50 years ago knew this. They understood that representation in the halls of Congress and other spheres of power and influence must be supported by a permanent institution dedicated to research, leadership development, and public education. This ignited five decades of dismantling obstacles and generating pathways for historically excluded communities to thrive. At CBCF, we are building infrastructure. Dedicated support, investment, and engagement with our work is what makes it durable for decades to come.
2.
3.
4.
5. Leadership right now means showing up fully informed and fully committed. It is meeting people where they are with honest assessment and genuine belief in what they can do. It is knowing that the path forward runs through every space where human beings decide how power is distributed and who it serves. It is also, most importantly, about courageous conviction. We have been here before. Our forebears chose neither despair, denial, nor flight, and they never gave up or gave in. They chose strategy. They chose solidarity. They chose to change the face of leadership, not just by demanding what it would not give, but by becoming it. That is our inheritance and our legacy. And it remains our indispensable charge.
6.
Available at bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov. See also: Axios, “An unemployment rate milestone for Black Americans,” May 5, 2023. Urban Institute, “These Five Facts Reveal the Current Crisis in Black Homeownership,” citing Jung Hyun Choi (2017 ACS data): Black-white homeownership gap of 30.1 percentage points, exceeding the 27-point gap in 1960 when housing discrimination was legal. See also: CNBC, “Why the homeownership gap between White and Black Americans is larger today,” Aug. 21, 2020; HUD USER, “Closing the African American Homeownership Gap,” March 22, 2021cited via DC Government: Black Homeownership Strike Force Final Report, October 2022 (44.1% Black vs. 74.5% white homeownership as of Dec. 31, 2020). Class Action, “The Future of Fair Admissions: A First Look at College Enrollment Outcomes After the End of Affirmative Action,” Feb. 2026, analyzing 2024 federal enrollment data across 3,000+ colleges. Reported in: The Hill, “Black, Latino admissions at top universities dropped after Supreme Court ruling,” Feb. 4, 2026. Brookings Institution, “The complex ramifications of Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard,” citing fall 2025 data: Harvard Black enrollment dropped from 18% (2023) to 11.5% (2025); Princeton from 9% to 5%; Amherst from 11% to 6%. Eddie R. Cole, professor of history and education, UCLA, quoted in The Hechinger Report, “After Affirmative Action: Takeaways and Puzzles from College Admissions Data,” Feb. 12, 2026. Justice Elena Kagan, dissenting, Louisiana v. Callais, 608 U.S. ___ (2026), decided April 29, 2026. Quoted in: National Constitution Center, “The Supreme Court’s Callais decision sets new framework for racial gerrymandering.” See also: NAACP Legal Defense Fund case page, naacpldf.org/case-issue/louisiana-v-callais.
Cases Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, 594 U.S. 647 (2021). Louisiana v. Callais, 608 U. S. ____ (2026). Shelby County v. Holder, 570 U.S. 529 (2013). Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College, 600 U.S. 181 (2023).
Sources & Citations 1. White House Council of Economic Advisers, “Recent Labor Market Conditions for Black Workers,” May 2024 (data through April 2023).
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Nicole Austin-Hillery is President & CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, where she leads efforts to advance the global Black community and other historically underserved groups through public policy research, education, and leadership development. A civil and human rights leader, she previously served as Executive Director of the U.S. Division at Human Rights Watch and as the inaugural Director and Counsel of the Washington, D.C. office of the Brennan Center for Justice, where she also served as chief representative before Congress and the Executive Branch. She has testified before legislative bodies at the state, local, and federal levels, and her commentary has appeared in the Washington Post, Time Magazine, The Hill, and CNN.com. Her honors include the 2026 Beacon of Justice and Equity Award from the National Action Network and the 2025 National Urban League Do Something! Award. Ms. Austin-Hillery is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and Carnegie Mellon University and is a former David A. Wasserstein Public Interest Fellow at Harvard Law School.
Building leadership pipelines also means investing in the next generation of young leaders now and not waiting.
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The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the Legacy of Black Leadership Dr. Elsie L. Scott When I was hired as Vice President for Research and Programs for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) in 2005, I was excited to be leading the policy work of CBCF. I wanted to be the lead policy person because I wanted to continue some of the work that was started by Dr. Maya Rockeymoore during her tenure as Vice President. I also wanted to expand CBCF’s research in criminal justice, my research area of concentration. I remember Representative Bobby Scott, who was familiar with my work on police reform, saying that he was excited that CBCF would become more engaged in criminal justice because I was there. I was, however, only in that position for about six months before I was asked to serve as interim President and CEO. I was later selected by the Board as the President and CEO. Before the CBCF was founded in 1976, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) developed Brain Trusts on issue areas central to the lives of Black people. The Brain Trusts were designed to identify and connect Black people throughout the country who had similar interest and expertise in key policy areas that affect the Black community, such as Education, Voting Rights, Criminal Justice, Health, Energy, and Small Business. I was a part of the Criminal Justice Braintrust that was headed by the late U.S. Representative John Conyers. Not only did we meet at the Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), but his staff kept us informed regarding legislation that could affect
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our communities. Sometimes he held Judiciary Committee hearings away from Washington--in areas where a police shooting or some other criminal justice incident had taken place. He wanted to connect with people at the local level whether or not they lived in a district represented by a Black member of Congress. CBC Members were viewed as representative of all Black people, regardless of where they lived. Conyers connected with community organizations, social, religious, and professional associations, and researchers who were interested in being a part of solutions and having their voices heard. The work of the Brain Trusts helped to provide the framework for some of the policy analysis that was conducted by the CBCF staff after CBCF was founded. CBCF was created as a nonprofit organization that would improve the status of Black people through research, policy analysis, educational programs, and leadership development.!Scholarship and fellowship programs were created to increase the numbers of Black staffers on the Hill and increase the number of Blacks in public policy positions. The Congressional Black Caucus Weekend was started after the CBC hosted a successful dinner in 1971 that attracted Black political leaders, entertainers, business leaders, educators, and community activists. The income generated from the dinner was used to fund the work of the CBC. When Newt Gingrich was elected Speaker of the House in 1995, he set out to destroy the Congressional caucuses, with a big target aimed at the CBC. The CBC had become one of the most successful, if not the most successful Congressional caucus. He was willing to destroy the Congressional caucus system in order to destroy the CBC or at least make them ineffective. As CBC Members struggled to save the hugely successful CBC weekend, some were ready to “throw in the towel.” Congressman Donald Payne, the chair of the CBC, took it personally. He declared that it would not happen on his watch. The CBC had to find a way to convene large numbers of Black people to discuss policy issues without being partisan. How could the CBC host the annual conference and attract large numbers of Black people who were interest in politics without violating the new rules for caucuses?
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It was decided that the annual conference would become a function of the CBCF, not the CBC. The CBCF had been incorporated since 1976 as a not-for-profit organization, and it was engaged in policy analysis, research, and the development of the next generation of Black leaders through scholarships, internships, and fellowships. It took a number of years for some CBC Members and attendees to understand that ALC was not a product of the CBC. How do you establish an identity for the CBCF when the first three letters are identical to the CBC? When Congressman William Jefferson became chair of the CBCF, he decided that changing
One of the larger policy projects we undertook was an analysis of the CBC’s policy agenda during its first 40 years. the leadership structure of CBCF would help to strengthen the organization. He was concerned that the high turnover rate in the executive leadership of the Foundation weakened the organization. The value of CBCF executive directors was closely tied to the “social success” of the “CBC Weekend.” People joked that if complaints about the entertainment, the food or the format of the conference were made by the wrong spouse, sponsor or Member, the executive director would be terminated the day after the conference.
The change in the name and authority of the head of the CBCF from executive director to President and CEO helped to attract Attorney Weldon Rougeau. Rougeau was a Vice President at American Express who had worked with Vernon Jordan at the Voter Education Project (VEP) before earning his law degree at Harvard University. Coincidently, he had been my summer internship director when I was a VEP summer intern. During his tenure at CBCF, the size of the staff increased, CBCF became more independent and CBCF policy activity expanded beyond the conference and internship and fellowship training. During my tenure as President and CEO, we were able to build upon some of the foundations that had been put in place by the staff before us. We were engaged in analyzing and explaining policy issues that were coming from the executive and legislative branches. For example, there was much debate about the Affordable Healthcare Act (labeled the Obama Care Act). Congressional offices in “red states” that were opposed to the act were not ensuring that their constituents applied for the benefits. We decided that the act needed to be simplified so that the everyday citizens could understand the provisions that would benefit them. CBCF fellows (Daniel Dawes and Nicole Jarrett), under the leadership of Vice President Dr. Marjorie Innocent, published “Understanding Health Reform: A Community Guide for African Americans.” We held policy discussions in Congressional districts around the country to engage everyday citizens, elected officials, academicians, policy analysts, and community activists on topics such as health care and business development. One of the larger policy projects we undertook during my tenure was an analysis of the CBC’s policy agenda during its first 40 years. We published Conscience of the Congress: How the Congressional Black Caucus Changed America by Stephanie Jones, editor (2012), which examined the CBC’s impact in the areas of Labor, Health, Education, Environmental Justice, Voting Rights, the Economy, Criminal Justice, Foreign Policy, and Civil Rights.
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I wrote the chapter on Criminal Justice. Whereas criminal justice had been a major policy issue of the CBC, there had not been many major national legislative victories, especially as it related to policing. Defeats can be blamed in part on the fact that many criminal justice issues have to be addressed at the state and local levels. They are national concerns, but policy solutions have to be developed with the engagement of community representatives. Since early in its existence, CBCF relied upon policy experts to conduct research and produce policy papers. I would like to recognize the late Dr. Linda Fay Williams, a brilliant political scientist who worked as the CBCF Director of the Institute for Policy Research and Education from 1993-1995. This reflection would not be complete without acknowledging the contributions of the late Dr. Ronald Walters. He was not a paid employee of the CBC or the CBCF, but he was a policy advisor to both organizations. Walters worked with the first chair of the CBC, Representative Charles Diggs, when Walters was doing graduate work in International Relations. At the time of his death, he was assisting CBC Members in devising their policy forums for ALC, and he was serving as Chair of the CPAR advisory committee. He was the “go-to person” that many CBC Members went to for policy advice. Dr. Menna Demissie, the founder of JCPAR, created a special section in JCPAR to recognize Dr. Walters. I was honored to serve as special editor.
We were engaged in analyzing and explaining policy issues that were coming from the executive and legislative branches.
Dr. Elsie L. Scott is the founding director of the Ronald W. Walters Leadership and Public Policy Center at Howard University. Prior to her present position, she served as President and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. She has served as Deputy Commissioner of Training, New York Police Department and Executive Director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). She has taught at several universities, including Howard, Rutgers, Central Florida, and Federal City College (now UDC). She earned her B.A. from Southern University & A&M College, M.A. from the University of Iowa and Ph.D. from Atlanta University (now CAU), all in political science.
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Key Moments in CBC History Key CBC Moments and Legislative Victories A legislative voice for Black Americans, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) traces its history back to the important civil rights victories of the 1960s. Founded in 1971, the CBC continues to be an advocate for underrepresented people. Their efforts to affect positive change in domestic and international policy have helped to keep the concerns of Black communities at the forefront of US policy. CBC members have been responsible for numerous laws positively affecting the lives of Americans. The CBC has introduced and sponsored legislation on a range of issues, including voting rights, employment, education, healthcare, and foreign policy. Making their legislative agenda known to the White House and in Congress, the members of the CBC have been able to advance Black political interests in the United States for more than fifty years.
1971 Thirteen Black members of the House of Representatives established the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Rep. Shirley A. Chisholm, Rep. William L. Clay, Sr., Rep. George W. Collins, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, Rep. Charles C. Diggs, Jr., Rep. Augustus F. Hawkins, Rep. Ralph H. Metcalfe, Rep. Parren J. Mitchell, Rep. Robert N.C. Nix, Sr., Rep. Charles B. Rangel, Rep. Louis Stokes, and Del. Walter E. Fauntroy were the founding members of the CBC.
January 25, 1972 Founding CBC member Rep. Shirley Chisholm became the first Black person to campaign for the U.S. presidency in a major political party.
October 12, 1977 President Jimmy Carter signed the Community Reinvestment Act into law, outlawing redlining and making it easier for Black Americans to qualify for mortgages. Founding CBC Members Del. Walter Fauntroy and Rep. Parren Mitchell cosponsored the bill.
October 2, 1986 After years of advocacy from CBC members, Congress overrode President Ronald Reagan’s veto to enact the Comprehensive AntiApartheid Act of 1986, which was introduced by CBC member Rep. William H. Gray III.
November 3, 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed H.R. 3706, introduced by CBC member Rep. Katie Hall, into law, which made Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday a federal holiday. The CBC advocated for this legislation for fifteen years, with CBC member Rep. John Conyers Jr. proposing a bill to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday just four days after his assassination in 1968.
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Key Moments in CBC History
July 26, 1990 President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law, codifying protections for disabled Americans. All 21 members of the Congressional Black Caucus cosponsored the legislation.
November 22, 2000 President Bill Clinton signed the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act of 2000 into law, which established the National Institutes of Health’s National Center on Minority and Health Disparities. The bill was inspired by the Health Care Fairness Act of 1999, introduced by CBC member Rep. Bennie Thompson, which was cosponsored by every CBC member.
November 30, 1993 President Bill Clinton signed the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act into law, which required background checks for prospective gun owners. CBC Chair Rep. Kweisi Mfume and 20 other CBC members cosponsored the legislation.
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May 25, 2007 President George W. Bush signed the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 into law, raising the national minimum wage to $7.25. More than 20 members of the CBC cosponsored this legislation.
January 20, 2009 President Barack Obama was inaugurated, making him the first Black person and CBC member to hold the office of the presidency.
March 23, 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) into law, revolutionizing the healthcare system in the United States. Founding CBC Member Rep. Charles Rangel sponsored the legislation in the House, with over 5 CBC members cosponsoring the bill.
December 10, 2015 President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act into law, which emphasized equity and provided increased flexibility to states and municipalities. CBC member Rep. Bobby Scott co-authored the bill and helped garner bipartisan support to ensure its passage.
August 3, 2010 President Barack Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act into law, lowering the penalties for possession of crack cocaine. The bill was inspired by legislation from late CBC member Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and introduced in the House of Representatives by CBC member Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.
August 17, 2021 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Board Chair Rep. Terri A. Sewell introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would increase access to voting
January 20, 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris was sworn in as the first Black person, woman, and CBC member to hold to office of the vice presidency.
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Key Moments in CBC History November 15, 2021 President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law, which funded a $42.45 billion federal grant program to bring broadband to rural and underserved areas. The bill was cosponsored by four CBC members. November 30, 2022 House Democrats elected CBC member Rep. Hakeem Jeffries as the Minority Leader of their Caucus. Minority Leader Jeffries is the first Black leader of a party caucus in congressional history.
March 29, 2022 President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law, making lynching a federal hate crime punishable for up to 30 years in prison. CBC Member Rep. Bobby D. Rush introduced this legislation, and nearly 50 CBC members cosponsored the bill.
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January 3, 2025 Vice President Kamala Harris swore in the 119th Congress, which included a recordbreaking 62 CBC members.
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The Conscience of a Nation: Reflections on the Congressional Black Caucus and the 50-Year Legacy of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Vincent Evans There is a particular weight that comes with legacy. Not the kind that burdens, but the kind that anchors. The kind that reminds you that what you carry did not begin with you—and will not end with you. For more than half a century, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has stood as both conscience and compass of the United States Congress. Born in an era when the doors of democracy were only just beginning to open to Black Americans in a meaningful way, the CBC emerged not simply as a collection of lawmakers, but as a collective force—clear in purpose, grounded in community, and unwavering in its commitment to justice. Founded in 1971 by thirteen Members, the Caucus was built on a simple but profound truth: representation alone is not enough. Presence must be paired with purpose, and power must be organized, intentional, and accountable to the people. From those early days to now—when the CBC has grown to its largest membership in history—the mission has remained consistent: to speak for those too often unheard, to advocate for those too often left behind, and to ensure that the promise of this country reaches every corner of our communities. That consistency is not accidental. It reflects discipline—and a shared understanding that the CBC is not merely a caucus, but an institution. And like all enduring institutions, it has evolved.
The CBC has never been static. It has moved with the times while refusing to be moved off its principles. It has engaged every major issue facing the nation—civil rights, economic justice, healthcare, education, housing, criminal justice, immigrant rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, workers’ rights, disability rights, and human rights—not as isolated debates, but as interconnected struggles rooted in the lived experiences of Black communities. That commitment has never been confined to our borders. The CBC has long been a leading voice on issues impacting the African continent and the Caribbean—advancing policies, strengthening partnerships, and ensuring that the interests of people of African descent around the world are represented in U.S. foreign policy. The CBC is not defined just by its size—it is defined by its power. Today, with Members from every corner of the country leading at the highest levels, it stands as one of the most powerful blocs in Congress, chairing critical committees and shaping the national agenda. From its ranks have come an American President and an American Vice President. There are more Black Senators serving now than at any point in this nation’s history, and the first Black Speaker of the House waits in the wings. That power is not symbolic. It is real, it is exercised, and it is rooted in a shared commitment to serve and deliver for our communities. That is not incidental. It is the result of sustained excellence, strategic unity, and an unyielding commitment to the communities we serve. We are no longer just the conscience of the Congress—rather, we are now the conscience of the community, the conscience of the
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collective, the conscience of the common cause—and the conscience of the Constitution itself. That is the throughline of the CBC’s legacy. The CBC has not waited for consensus—it has helped to create it. From protecting the Voting Rights Act to advancing economic opportunity and shaping national conversations on policing and accountability, it has consistently led with clarity and conviction. And it has done so while holding a deeper truth: that the work inside the halls of Congress must remain connected to the work happening outside of it. That connection—to community, to movement, to lived reality—is what has made the CBC both effective and enduring. It is also what makes the partnership with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) so essential. If the CBC represents the legislative arm of this legacy, the CBCF represents its intellectual and developmental engine. For 50 years, the Foundation has cultivated the next generation of leaders, produced rigorous policy analysis, and created spaces for dialogue, learning, and strategic alignment. Through its fellowships, internships, and convenings, it has built a pipeline of talent and ideas that continue to shape public policy and public service at the highest levels. Together, the CBC and CBCF form a continuum—one grounded in action, the other in preparation; one focused on governing, the other on building the capacity to govern. In doing so, it ensures that the work of the Caucus is not only sustained—but strengthened, sharpened, and prepared to meet each moment with clarity and purpose. That relationship has never been more important than it is right now.
That connection— to community, to movement, to lived reality—is what has made the CBC both effective and enduring. moment where fundamental questions about democracy, rights, and representation are not theoretical—they are active, urgent, and unresolved. In moments like this, the role of the CBC becomes even more pronounced. Not just to respond—but to lead. To set the terms of debate. To define what justice looks like in real terms. To insist that policy is not abstract, but personal—that decisions made in committee rooms and on the floors of Congress reverberate in neighborhoods, schools, and homes.
Because we are in a moment. A moment marked by division—but also by consequence. A
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And to remind this nation—consistently and unapologetically—that democracy is not self-executing. It requires participation. It requires
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protection. And it requires people willing to stand in the gap when it is under threat.
To carry it forward with clarity. To keep the main thing the main thing. To move from strength to strength.
That has always been the charge of the Congressional Black Caucus. Because in this moment, we are both tying the rail and hammering the nail—doing the work of building and securing at the same time.
But legacy alone is not enough. The next chapter of the CBC’s story will be written by decisions—by how we meet this moment, and whether we are willing to be as bold as the founders, as disciplined as those who built its influence, and as connected to community as those who sustained it.
The charge remains what it has always been: to protect the progress we have made, to expand the promise still unmet, and to ensure that those who come after us inherit not just a legacy—but a future. This is not just a reflection on 50 years.
I often say that Black people in America must sleep in shifts. When you are asleep, I must be awake—and when I am asleep, you must be awake—because the responsibility we carry does not rest, and the work before us does not wait. That ethos is not just cultural; it is instructive. It reminds us that vigilance is a shared responsibility, and that every generation has a watch to stand. The CBC has never been content to simply exist within Congress. It has always sought to shape it—to make it more reflective, more responsive, and more just. That work is unfinished. And perhaps it always will be.
It is a call to the next 50. Vincent Evans is the Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus—the largest and most influential bloc of Black lawmakers in U.S. history. Since January 2022, he has helped shape the Caucus’s strategy, overseeing legislative priorities, political affairs, and national engagement on behalf of 62 Members of Congress. Evans previously served in the White House as Deputy Director of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs for Vice President Kamala Harris, leading efforts to elevate community voices and advance inclusive policymaking.
But that is what makes it necessary. And as Audre Lorde reminded us, there must be joy in the struggle. Even now. Especially now. Because joy is not a distraction from the work—it is what sustains it. Fifty years of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation is not just a milestone—it is a reminder of what is possible when vision is paired with structure, when leadership is paired with preparation, and when commitment is sustained over time. And as we reflect on that legacy, we are also called to continue it.
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Rooted and Reaching: CPAR Today and Tomorrow Dr. Jonathan M. Cox The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) Center for Policy Analysis and Research (CPAR) sits at the intersection of rigorous research and real-world impact. CPAR is the policy engine of the CBCF: the body of work that translates the CBCF’s mission into data, analysis, and actionable recommendations on the issues that matter most to Black communities. Spanning a variety of topics, CPAR produces the kind of evidence-based policy work that informs legislators, equips advocates, and gives communities the language and tools to foster positive change. Our work has deep roots. When the CBCF was established fifty years ago, part of its founding purpose was clear: to serve as a think tank in support of Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Members, providing the intellectual infrastructure to back their legislative efforts with serious, community-centered research. CPAR is the living expression of that original charge — a return to and reinvigoration of the idea that policy change, to be durable and just, must be grounded in both scholarship and the lived experiences of the people it affects. As the CBCF marks its fiftieth anniversary, CPAR stands as a testament to that founding vision, and as a renewed commitment to carrying it forward. Rooted: CPAR Today Most of CPAR’s work in recent years has centered broadly on a few key priority areas for Black communities: health equity; voter empowerment and Black civic engagement; technology; transportation equity; and our National Racial Equity Initiative for Social Justice (NREI). While these are core focal areas, CPAR has also produced work in areas such as economic advancement, education, criminal justice reform, and corporate social responsibility, remaining flexible in our approach so we can best support the mission of the CBCF. CPAR’s policy work, developed by CPAR staff and research fellows, is
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marked by the development of written research in a variety of formats, including short fact sheets and op-eds, longer policy briefs and research articles, and, most recently, interactive web-based reports. Importantly, this work not only informs communities through datadriven analysis; it also provides policy insights and recommendations that are intended to help meaningfully and materially improve the lives of Black people. In addition to our written work, CPAR provides content for and develops the Foundation’s policy programming, through which we convene legislators, policy experts, community advocates, and other stakeholders with local communities and the general public. Most notably this includes our Annual Legislative Conference, but also programs like Policy for the People, which began as a virtual series during the height of the pandemic and eventually grew into in-person summits, as well as our Community Conversations, which take us into local communities across the nation. We also conduct briefings for Congressional Members and their staffs, convene roundtable discussions with like-minded organizations to address pressing issues, and engage the public in responsive webinars that give insights on emergent and timely topics. As our programming shifts and grows throughout the years, be it in name or in focus, the significance and impact of this work remains: CPAR provides much needed space to address issues that are important for Black communities everywhere. As we recognize and celebrate the CBCF’s fiftieth anniversary, we must pause and honor the National Racial Equity Initiative as a crowning achievement. Launched in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd and subsequent national protests against ongoing incidents of policy killings of unarmed Black people, NREI served to combat systemic injustice and advance racial equity, human rights, education, and economic development opportunities for Black communities. Under the leadership of former Senior Director
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As we recognize and celebrate the CBCF’s fiftieth anniversary, we must pause and honor the National Racial Equity Initiative as a crowning achievement. Olajumoke “Jummy” Obayanju, NREI enacted a five-year strategic plan that included policy research developed by John R. Lewis Social Justice Fellows, the development of a Task Force of Social Justice Ambassadors who worked to disseminate research and raise awareness through social media, the creation of a scholarship program for students attending historically Black colleges and universities, and a series of policy programs that increased awareness of key social issues. After successful completion of its strategic plan, we shifted away from NREI being a distinct initiative and absorbed the social justice work and programs into CPAR to ensure the core impacts of the initiative carry forward into the future as a guidepost of the Foundation’s mission. During my tenure as Vice President for CPAR, I have worked with the CPAR team to continue and grow our impact in meaningful ways. CPAR has adjusted the format of our work to be as approachable and widely accessible as possible, which includes developing more short-form work and more interactive, web-based projects. Two of our web-based projects stand as engaging examples of this success: our Amplifying Black Perspectives initiative, which utilizes a cultivated group of research participants from around the country to better understand the experiences and perspectives of Black people on myriad issues; and our Executive Order Tracker, which catalogues executive actions coming from the current presidential administration
that have the most impacts on Black communities, providing easy to understand overviews, policy and legal updates, and information about what Members of the CBC are saying and doing in response. In 2025, in addition to projects like the Journal for the Center for Policy Analysis and Research, which include the voices of experts outside of the CBCF, we also released a comprehensive policy agenda developed in collaboration with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Forward Together: The Black Policy Playbook for an Equitable America features insights and recommendations on several core issue areas, with inputs from a number of organizations also focused on improving life for Black people and other marginalized communities. This work stands as a direct testament to the mission of the CBCF and continues to be amplified and utilized by organizations and policymakers across the nation. Outside of our policy research and programming efforts, CPAR continues to support the development of Avoice, the Foundation’s digital repository of the CBC, develop Black leaders through our research fellowships, and serve as policy experts to external stakeholders and organizations. The breadth of CPAR’s work — spanning rigorous research, dynamic programming, collaborative partnerships, and direct community engagement — reflects both the complexity of the challenges facing Black communities and the depth of our commitment to meeting them. As we look ahead, we carry forward everything we have built and learned, guided by a clear sense of where we are going and what we believe this work can achieve. The path forward is one of intentional growth: deepening relationships, expanding our reach, and ensuring that the policy work we produce continues to serve the people for whom it is ultimately meant. Reaching: CPAR Tomorrow The future of CPAR is rooted in a simple but powerful conviction: that rigorous, community-centered policy work, done in genuine partnership with the people it serves, has the power to change lives. That conviction has always animated our work, and, in the years to come, it will shape an even more deliberate and expansive vision for what CPAR can be.
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Central to that vision is a deeper, more structured relationship with Members of the Congressional Black Caucus. CBC Members are on the front lines of the legislative battles that determine outcomes for Black communities — on healthcare, education, economic security, civil rights, and more — and CPAR is uniquely positioned to equip them with the research, data, and policy insights they need to fight those battles effectively. We envision CPAR becoming an even more indispensable resource for CBC Members and their staffs: a trusted policy partner whose work is timely, actionable, and directly responsive to the legislative landscape they are navigating. Strengthening this relationship is not just an organizational priority — it is a fulfillment of the CBCF’s foundational purpose. Equally important is our commitment to establishing the CBCF as one of the most trusted and accessible sources of information about issues affecting Black communities. In a moment when accurate, community-affirming information is both more necessary and more contested than ever, we recognize that credibility must be actively cultivated and continuously earned. That means producing work that does not simply speak about Black communities, but speaks to and with them — work written in plain language, designed to be genuinely engaging, and shaped by the real experiences and perspectives of Black people across the country. Our Amplifying Black Perspectives research program is central to this effort, and we are committed to expanding it significantly: growing our participant community, deepening the diversity of voices represented, and ensuring that the insights we gather directly inform the policy research and recommendations we produce. When the people most affected by policy have a hand in shaping the analysis, the result is not only more accurate, but also more powerful. We are also looking beyond the federal level, working to build stronger connections between federal, state, and local policy for Black policymakers across the country. The issues that shape daily life for Black Americans do not begin and end in the nation’s capital city. They play out in state legislatures, city councils, and county commissions, and the policymakers working at those levels often lack access to the same depth of research and support available to their federal counterparts. CPAR aims to help close that gap —
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bridging the federal and local in ways that give Black policymakers at every level the tools and knowledge to advocate more effectively for their communities. None of this work, however, will be done in isolation. Perhaps the most defining commitment of CPAR’s future is a deepened investment in collaboration with peer organizations, advocacy groups, researchers, and community stakeholders who share our values and our sense of urgency. The challenges facing Black communities are too significant, and the political headwinds too strong, for any single organization to address alone. By fostering unity among Black voices and building a more robust ecosystem of coordinated effort, we believe the collective impact of this work can be far greater than the sum of its parts. CPAR will continue to convene, to listen, and to build the kinds of relationships that make ambitious, durable change possible. As the CBCF marks its fiftieth anniversary, we are reminded that this organization has always been at its best when it has been willing to grow — to meet the moment, adapt to new challenges, and recommit to the communities it serves. CPAR’s tomorrow is an expression of that same spirit: honoring a proud legacy while pressing forward with ambition, purpose, and an unshakable belief in what equitable policy can achieve. Dr. Jonathan Cox!is the Vice President for the Center Policy Analysis & Research at CBCF. In his role, he works to develop world-class public policy and research strategies for the CBCF to eliminate disparities in global Black communities. Dr. Cox is an engaged public scholar, researcher, and educator, with 20 years of instructional and administrative experience across public and private K-12 and postsecondary institutions. He regularly gives invited talks, makes media appearances, and consults with various organizations across public and private sectors, providing evidence-based insights on policy and social inequalities. Dr. Cox is a proud graduate of Hampton University.
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