Congresswoman Barbara Lee Speaks at the Congressional Black Caucus National Black Leadership Summit
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee gave opening remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus National Black Leadership Summit.
Today, over 600 Black leaders from around the country joined the Congressional Black Caucus for the National Black Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Participants came together to call national attention to two critical issues of the day for the Black community: 2020 Census and Voting Rights, both of which have implications for the development of Black communities in the short and long term.
“We are once again in a dangerous time in our nation’s history, as our community faces increasing threats from this President. The Congressional Black Caucus is the conscience of the Congress, fighting for the soul of America when others have tried to shut us down. As Black truth-tellers and change-makers who have transformed this country, it’s more important than ever that we continue this work and redouble our efforts for justice.” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
“The Congressional Black Caucus convened this National Black Leadership Summit because it is time to sound the alarm. There is a lot at stake in 2020 and we cannot afford to take it for granted. If we do not fix what is going wrong in this country now, the next two and a half generations will be impacted. We look forward to today’s discussions and to build a unified consensus on next steps to engage our community and promote the development of underserved communities in America,” said Chairwoman Karen Bass (CA-37), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
This “emergency convening” comes at a critical time in the life of our nation as the strength of our democracy is being tested. The theme for this year’s National Black Leadership Summit is “Fighting for Justice. The Power of Movement.” The event focused on Black America’s ability to overcome widespread voter suppression efforts and to be accurately counted in the 2020 Census.
The keynote was delivered by Bishop William J. Barber III, Chief Architect of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and Angela Rye, CEO of IMPACT Strategies and former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus (112th Congress), moderated the day’s discussions.
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