‘Pathways to Prosperity’: National town hall highlights day two of CBC

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The theme of the national town hall that took place on day two of the annual Congressional Black Caucus was “Pathways to Prosperity: Advancing Democracy and Black Economic Opportunity”. The presidential debate that took place earlier this week between current United States Vice President Kamala Harris and former United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday night in Philadelphia could be seen as an example of advancing democracy at the highest level. If elected, Harris, the country’s first Black and female vice president, would be this country’s first female president, and only the second ever Black Commander-in-Chief.

The Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) in its 53rd year of existence, held the town hall with honorary co-chairs, Representative Lucy McBath (GA) and Representative Troy Carter (LA), Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Board Chair Rep. Terri Sewell (AL) hosting the event alongside other board members. The town hall was sponsored by PolicyLink, an Oakland, California-based research and action institute that is “dedicated to advancing economic and social equity,” according to its website.  

First to speak on Thursday morning was ALC Honorary Co-Chair Nicole Austin-Hillery, who said this was a “historic time” in this country. “Don’t just sit here today and listen. Our job is to do something,” Hillery said. 

Sewell, one of the 60 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, said this year Black Americans find themselves in a pivotal moment. “Let us use this as a charge to fight, because when we fight we win,” she said. 

McBath, who took the stage alongside Carter, said that there are some people that will attempt to convince Black Americans that the progress Black Americans have made in America are at the expense of white Americans. She shared data from a recent Harvard University poll and added, “That’s the goal, lifting up all Americans,” McBath said. 

Carter added that it was time to take this conversation and move it to action. “It is time to push policies that expand access to capital, create affordable job options,” he said. “We need to dismantle discrimination.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, PolicyLink President Dr. Michael McAfee, NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson, Latosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America President & CEO Alexis McGill Johnson also contributed to the conversation. 

Moore, one of the brightest stars in Democratic politics and the first Black governor in Maryland’s history, set the stage for the day by saying, “Policy matters, but we will not make progress with policy alone. We are going to need every sector of society involved in this conversation,” said Moore. 

During the first panel, McAfee received multiple rounds of applause from the crowd during the times that he spoke due to how poignant and powerful his points were. Among the things he said was, “We have to stop being picked on by weak spineless people.” McAfee didn’t use any specific names when he used the phrase “spineless” but the reaction from what was a large crowd got the point nonetheless. 

Project 2025 was one of the topics that was discussed. Brown, who along with Black Voters Matter, has spent time registering voters all over the country and in particular in the South, said Black Americans need to fully understand what Project 2025 is all about.

“We are facing the rollback of voter protections in this country,” Brown said. “It’s really important for us to recognize what is happening.” Brown mentioned the election certification laws in Georgia as an example. 

Among the topics of discussion were Black men and trusting the election process, reproductive health, voting rights and freedoms, housing, environmental justice, and economic justice.

“When people are coming after our communities there has to be consequences,” Brown said about the power of the Black voter block. 

The panel closed with Lemon asking NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson how we can continue to advance Black American people in this country. Johnson started by saying, “With work, not rhetoric. Johnson said home ownership was a way to wealth in this country and with private equity firms buying up homes and property, understanding that the system is against us will be a way to fight against it. 

“We have to chart out how to get there,” Johnson said. 

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