By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s (CBCF) 2025 Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) hosted its National Town Hall on Sept. 25, a session designed to engage attendees and mobilize action on critical issues impacting Black communities across the country.
Since the 47th president took office for the second time, progress in racial equity and civil rights has been eroded, with the administration pursuing policies such as calling for mid-decade congressional redistricting, banning diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in federal agencies and weakening fair housing protections.
The town hall provided an opportunity to address challenges like these head-on, with panel conversations examining what’s led to the current political and social climate and what’s needed from Black communities and policymakers to defend democracy.
“Every one of us in this room has a job to do. We all have leadership roles, and we are here in unity,” said Nicole Austin-Hillery, president and CEO of the CBCF. “I want you to know that, ‘Made for this moment,’ are not just a set of empty words. They are your directive and your reminder about our history, what we’ve been through, what we’re made of and what we will continue to do to rise above. We are made for this moment and don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
When former President Barack Obama was re-elected in 2012, Black voter turnout reached its height at 66.2 percent— surpassing White voter turnout (64.1 percent) for the first time, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that weakened the Voting Rights Act by ending federal oversight of states with a history of voter discrimination.
This ruling would open the door for restrictive voting laws across the country. Panelist Marc Morial, CEO and president of the National Urban League, explained that since the 2012 peak, Black voter turnout has declined, in part, due to voter suppression campaigns. In the 2024 election, Black voter turnout was just above 59 percent.
Morial and other panelists stressed that it’s crucial to turn this trend around and maximize Black voter participation with grassroots organizing, fighting back against gerrymandering and consistent engagement with African Americans across the country—not just during election years.
“What we’ve got to understand is that we can have all these policy proposals, agendas, seminars and great proposals, but if we do not figure out a way to recapture and never, ever minimize our power at the ballot box, then we are not going to be able to restore,” said Morial.
While restrictive voting laws have impacted participation, another factor that panelists discussed is voters, especially younger ones, feeling that neither political party will address their day-to-day economic concerns.
“There are a lot of young people that are calling to the carpet the way they see politicians move. There’s a lot more critique than we’re really ready to deal with,” said Shavon Arline, president and CEO of the National Council of Negro Women. “The critique is centered on: ‘How does this policy translate into me eating? How does it translate into me having my mortgage paid?’”
Arline emphasized that political leaders need to spend more time illustrating to their constituents the through lines from policies to real life outcomes. She also reminded people that fighting for meaningful change is a long-term endeavor—one they may not even see in their lifetimes.
“The problem that we have is the ancestors fought for stuff they knew they weren’t going to see. We are fighting for what we want in our pocket right now,” said Arline. “The pushback I have is, ‘How dare we be so selfish?’ I’m fighting for my grandchildren who are not even here because if I don’t do that then I spit in the face of my ancestors.”
California Congresswoman Maxine Waters pointed out that the release of the conservative playbook, Project 2025, in 2023 also served as notice of where the political and social climate was headed.
Though the 47th president denied any affiliation with the plan, a number of his executive actions are aligned with its agenda, including dismantling the Department of Education, ending diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives, and shrinking the federal workforce.
With 2026 midterm elections on the horizon, Waters affirmed that she and her colleagues will continue to push back against the current administration and called on people to get to the ballot box.
“We’re going to fight. We fight them every day. We have people who are filing lawsuits. We file amicus briefs in support of those lawsuits. We do all of that,” said Waters. “Now, we’re telling you to do something. We’re telling you to vote. We’re telling you to get your friends to go out and vote.”
