D.C. resident Chioma Iwuoha said that, other than one event about reparations, she’s not participating in activities taking place during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF)’s 54th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).
Instead, she’s opting to spend time with Harriet’s Wildest Dreams and other grassroots organizations who’ve responded to the onslaught of Trump executive orders and bipartisan congressional votes against the District with the force she believes is necessary at this time.
“What I think we need is not just business as usual, but people who are willing to be innovative and go against the grain and do things that they haven’t done before in the past,” Iwuoha told The Informer. “I’m not saying that the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) isn’t useful, but what I’m saying is that this moment calls for something bigger that builds power and resilience in Black communities.”
Iwuoha, an at-large committeewoman in the D.C. Democratic Party and mother of a D.C. public charter school student, has spent much of the second Trump administration with a pulse on developments affecting the District— such as the continuing resolution that froze $1.1 billion in local funds.
More recently, she’s weighed in on the federalization of the Metropolitan Police Department as one of those who’ve criticized D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for what she describes as capitulation to the Trump administration. Despite D.C.’s status as a city still under the control of the federal government, Iwuoha said she believes that Bowser and other local officials can do more, and encourage more, of national Republican and Democratic leadership.
The 54th ALC is the ideal opportunity to do so.
“What we’re seeing is we’re being called to take a stand on who we really are as a city, as a party,” Iwuoha said as she spoke about Bowser. “People want to support her because they feel like she’s powerless, but I just don’t believe that there’s nothing that we can’t do. We need to be taking a stronger stance against Trump and being more vocal.”
Tension Runs High in the District Amid the 54th Annual Legislative Conference
Since 1970, CBCF’s ALC has provided a platform for discussions about policy issues affecting Black Americans.
Amid the Trump administration’s promotion of detrimental policy affecting marginalized communities, erasure of Black history, and roll back of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative (DEI), organizers have designated the theme of the 54th ALC as “Made for this Moment: Power, Policy and Progress.”
“This year’s theme… captures the urgency and responsibility we face as a nation,” CBCF President Nicole Austin-Hillery said. “This moment calls for bold leadership, collaboration, and action, and this conference provides the platform to make that happen.”
The conference, scheduled to take place on Sept. 24-28, includes panel discussions about health care, education, civic engagement and social justice, and economic empowerment. Visitors should also expect to see exhibits and partake in networking opportunities.
For some organizers, like Yolanda Raines, the annual event should set the stage for a collective movement that changes the current political landscape.
“Next year is a midterm election year, and I hope that [the ALC] encourages folks to start thinking about how we can galvanize as a community… and make sure that we’re making the proper elections on local and regional levels, so that we can change what’s happening on the national level in the next three years,” said Raines, CBCF vice president of marketing and communications.
Earlier this month, a contingent of House Democrats, which also included CBC members, voted alongside Republicans in approval of bills allowing the prosecution of 14-year-olds as adults for violent crimes, the president’s control of D.C. judicial nominations, and the future repeal of the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act and the Second Chance Amendment Act.
While local activist Ambrose Lane, Jr. said he harbors no ill will toward the CBC, he told The Informer that the caucus has lost its way for a long time. That’s why Lane, chair of the Health Alliance Network and supporter of the Million Man Vote movement, believes that Congressional Black Caucus members must go beyond conventional strategies to channel the radical energy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“There’s been nothing that they have done in terms of marches, rallies, speeches that have gotten this administration changed course,” Lane said. “Civil disobedience, on the other hand, is an act where you are seeking to shut down things, whether or not that is shutting down traffic, whether or not that is using labor to shut down functions. That affects money. That affects economies. That affects their bottom line. “
While he hinted at an act of civil disobedience to take place during the ALC, he stopped short of fully revealing it, opting instead to raise the consciousness of those attending.
“We’re not going to take any actions that will disrupt the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Week,” Lane said. “The CBC is not our enemy. What is happening in the federal administration is diametrically opposed to democracy [and] trying to provide opportunities for our youth and a pathway forward for families. We are fighting on that front.”
Last week Bowser, D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson and D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb spoke before the House’s Committee on Government Oversight and Accountability. The hearing, at times, turned controversial with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) delving into topics irrelevant to local crime, and Mendelson accusing Police Union President Gregg Pemberton of fudging crime statistics.
Bowser later called the hearing “disgraceful.”
Lane lambasted Democratic leadership, including House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who he said could’ve done more to prevent the assault on the District. In the aftermath of the controversial oversight hearing, Lane also pointed out that District leaders squandered an opportunity to stand up for fathers when questioned about “fatherless youth” committing crimes.
“None of the D.C. leaders could provide what they’re doing to enhance the lives of fathers, and more specifically Black men,” Lane said. “Now we have a situation where young children, adolescents, who don’t have a strong father in the home, don’t have strong fathers in [the] community, do not have direction. Because they don’t have direction, they are off the rails, and that’s specifically because of the benign negligence of our current D.C. leadership.”
From Local Cuts to National Crises: Why the Moment Demands Mobilization
Even though D.C. Rep. Oye Owolewa’s position as a shadow representative doesn’t provide him the opportunity for CBC membership, he has enthusiastically participated in the events and programming during CBCF’s ALC week for years.
Owolewa hopes this year’s program will directly inspire Black leaders to use their influence to defend the rights of Americans living in the nation’s capital, especially in the wake of Trump’s federal takeover. During the occupation of the nation’s capital, thousands of National Guard personnel were deployed from a bevy of red states— including Mississippi, West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina. While the 30-day federal takeover ended on Sept. 10 members of the D.C. National Guard are still patrolling the streets.
“I believe these conferences are valuable in bringing Black leaders together,” Owolewa told The Informer. “With everything going on locally in D.C…. I believe it’s important for our country’s leaders to find courses of action to fight back against Trump’s authoritative actions.”
The D.C. representative also hopes that this year’s conference will push local leaders to further advocate for and protect their vulnerable communities, especially when cuts to the city’s Fiscal Year 2026 Budget could jeopardize Washingtonians’ access to various resources.
“I believe it’s time for D.C. leadership to look inward to find ways to better support our working and middle class,” Owolewa said. “This year, our leadership passed a budget that kicks 25,000 working-class people off Medicaid, cut social services and largely ignored environmental investments.”
Owolewa’s concerns at the local level mirror broader threats to democracy and civil rights under the Trump administration.
Since returning to office, Trump has pledged to remove accurate American history from schools and Smithsonian institutions, claiming that teachings and depictions of Black Americans’ struggles throughout the country’s history erode critical thinking.
The president also introduced the Safeguard American Voting Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which could limit voting access with its intense documentation requirements.
Raines said that these proposals, alongside many others, pose a risk to the rights of individuals across the nation, dismantling historic progress in the fight toward a just future. Programming at the 54th ALC will bring these current issues and many others to the forefront.
“We’re talking about how children will have access to quality education, equitable education and education that doesn’t erase our history as a community,” Raines told The Informer. “We’re also going to talk about the ways we can protect our health and champion health equity… and democracy, especially when our voting rights and other rights are under threat.”
Inspiring Future Leaders to Take Action
As the ALC has historically pushed Black leadership to preserve Black Americans’ Constitutional rights, the conference also aims to influence future generations of Black policymakers and organizers to remain hopeful and determined to work toward a future that fairly considers everyone’s needs regardless of race, class or gender.
“I hope it challenges people to execute on bold ideas that they may have and may be afraid to do, for the sake of… equity for Black folks,” Raines said. “I hope that people walk out of all of our sessions and brain trust and issue forums with information that’s pivotal to their work, whether that be new data or new insights from CBCF. ”
Owolewa acknowledges the importance of this year’s ALC theme, considering the challenges Black communities have faced since the current administration took office. He hopes Black people across the country are properly equipped to run for and win city, county and municipal elections, ready to remain resolute in the fight to reclaim their power.
“We must prepare and fight for a better tomorrow,” Oweolewa told The Informer. “I’ve been committed to inspire the next generation to step up. I will not be in politics forever, but I know real progress will be made by passing the baton and pushing forward the next generation of leadership.”