Press Releases

Congressional Black Caucus to Hold National Summit on Democracy and Race and Launch Summer of Action to Defend America

Washington, May 2, 2023 | Freedom Alexander Murphy

Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford (NV-04) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus announced that the Caucus will convene its first National Summit on Democracy & Race on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at 8:30am EST, and launch the Summer of Action to Defend America. 

The National Summit on Democracy & Race will focus on the intersection of race and democracy, and will bring together government leaders, scholars, activists, experts and thought leaders to engage in conversation about legislative, executive, and community-based solutions to fortify our democracy, organize in communities against attempts to erase African-American history and hold government actors and state legislatures accountable for suppressing our constitutional freedoms. 

The summit comes amid increasing threats to our democracy including the recent expulsion of two Black legislators in Tennessee, the legalization of partisan gerrymandering by the GOP Majority in the North Carolina Supreme Court, and ongoing attacks on our personal freedoms – from our freedom of speech to the right to vote. The half-day summit will offer an opportunity for leaders to find consensus on solutions and formalize direct citizen engagement with a diverse range of actors who are committed to protecting our nation’s democracy in every community, on every block, in every zip code. 

The summit will focus around three key themes: 

  1. Voting Rights and Redistricting
  2. Preserving Black history and pushing back against ‘wokeism’ 
  3. Civic engagement and coalition building
“We cannot ignore the fact that right now, MAGA extremist Republicans at the local, state, and national levels are attempting to run the table with every tactic in their arsenal to erode the fundamental tenets of our democracy. We have to push back against threats to our democracy whether it's election denialism and partisan gerrymandering, charges against ‘wokeism’, whitewashing our history by banning books, or challenging our fundamental freedoms and bodily autonomy in the courts. The Congressional Black Caucus is uniquely positioned to address these threats on our democracy, and this summit will allow us the opportunity to bring together leaders to coalesce around solutions to address this moment head on,” said CongressionalBlack Caucus (CBC) Chair Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04).