The Congressional Black Caucus kicked off its annual legislative conference this week, which has been upended by President Donald Trump’s second term and by the presence of National Guard patrols near the conference’s venue.
The Congressional Black Caucus kicked off its annual legislative conference this week, which has been upended by President Donald Trump’s second term and by the presence of National Guard patrols near the conference’s venue.
The 62-member caucus, all of whom are Democrats, gathered with business leaders, activists, policy experts, local government officials, and other professionals from across the country to strategize how to build its new agenda and to counter Trump’s policies, which have disrupted federal government programs that address civil rights, education, healthcare, housing, immigration and labor policy, among other areas.
While this year’s conference has featured the usual panels, strategy sessions and cocktail parties, many attendees hoped to hear from the “conscience of the Congress” — a moniker bestowed on the CBC for its civil rights work — about what lessons can be learned from American history for the current political climate, and how lawmakers would govern should they win future elections.
Here are some comments from the CBC lawmakers who attended this year’s conference:Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina
“This is probably going to be one of the most consequential weeks that you have ever spent in your lives,” said Clyburn, the former House Democratic leader, during an address at the outset of the conference. “Take it from me: we are on the precipice of losing this democracy. We are. And if you don’t think so, take a journey through the history of the country.”
“I would hope that I would not leave this Earth, and my children and grandchildren would not be sentenced to having to live the life that their grandparents and parents lived,” said the 85-year-old congressman.
