From panels to engaging with attendees around the exhibit hall and speaking at the star-studded Phoenix Awards Dinner, political leaders from Prince George’s County and across Maryland used this year’s Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), Sept. 24-28, to speak out against oppressive policies and fight for justice and equity.
“It’s all hands on deck. We’re fighting back against what the Trump administration is doing. We’ve got enough talent to make it a strong fight and we’ve got to put it all out there today,” Maryland Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey told The Informer on the first day of the conference. “Donald Trump is destroying the country basically and the African American community in particular. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing everything we can to defend ourselves, fight for democracy, and for our community.”
With the looming threat of a government shutdown, Marylanders already rallying from federal furloughs, and the cuts to programs affecting programs and residents, local leaders used the conference’s national stage to spotlight statewide achievements, challenges and fights.
“At a time when we are watching the president attempting to gerrymander Black leaders out of office, I want to be very clear – while these other states are determining whether or not they have their maps, so will Maryland,” said Gov. Wes Moore, who spoke at the Phoenix Awards, an event that also featured: Vice President Kamala Harris; Maryland Democratic Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, co-chair of this year’s conference; and a performance by the legendary band The Roots.
Under the 2025 CBCF ALC theme “Made for This Moment: Power, Policy and Progress,” Moore offered a warning to those not fighting against injustice.
“History is not going to remember this administration well,” he told the crowd in his address. “But also, to those that are sitting down and doing nothing, to those that are capitulating – history will remember you worse.”
Prince George’s Shines with Panels, Special Events
While many CBCF week events happened in D.C., Prince George’s County Executive hosted her annual affair as part of the conference at the The Theater in MGM National Harbor on Sep. 23. In her seventh CBCF gala and first as county executive, she emphasized the importance of highlighting the power of Prince George’s during the national celebration.
“This is a county where we elevate. We have to recognize we were not first; there was a strong foundation built here by many of you in this room,” she said to great applause during her event Prince George’s County CBC: A Signature Reception. “Here in Prince George’s County, everyone can and will win.”
As people around the nation navigate social and economic instability, Marylanders are grappling with the loss of tens of thousands of federal jobs, and Prince Georgians, in particular, feel the sting.
“Federal jobs and contracts are more than paychecks. They are lifelines for families and pathways to economic mobility for Black communities,” said Prince George’s County Councilmember Wala Blegay (D-District 6), in a press release. “As these opportunities are stripped away, we must fight back to protect our progress and secure a stronger future.”
Throughout the conference, Blegay worked to raise awareness about how certain national policies negatively affect Prince Georgians. She served on a Sept. 24 panel titled “Losing Ground: Federal Workforce Cuts & the Future of Black Enterprise,” hosted at Capitol Square Bar and Grill in Southeast, D.C.
Other panelists included: Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormmick (D-Fla.), Jamar Brown, Color of Change executive director, and Ottis Johnson, national vice president of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 14, and Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes moderated the discussion.
“We’re not alone, having felt the attack of the layoffs. There have even been layoffs in the private sector,” said Blegay to begin the panel. “In Prince George’s County, we are hit hard. We have had a record number of job losses.”
Rep. Ivey spent much of his time during the conference throughout the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where he participated in panels, spoke with attendees, and encouraged others to join in work to improve the lives of African Americans and equity overall.
“This panel hosted by the American Kidney Fund is emblematic of the kinds of important topics important to the Black community. Kidney disease and new research on APOL1 gene variants require further funding to safeguard our community’s health,” said Ivey, a survivor of kidney cancer, during a Sept. 26 panel. “I was lucky. I had good health insurance. My kidney cancer was found early and the medical facilities near me are world-class. Good health starts with good science and the CBC (Congressional Black Caucus) strives to keep this important research at the forefront,” he said in an interview.”
Ivey also hosted a Friday session on President Trump’s militarization of policing in Washington D.C. and beyond, featuring Greg Jackson, former White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention deputy director.
“Comprehensive programs that work in coordination with social services, intervention efforts and violence prevention: that wins,” Ivey said in an interview following the panel. “It polls better than ‘lock ‘em up.’
Reflecting on the conference, County Councilmember Calvin Hawkins (D) thanked CBC leaders who have mentored him and inspired his work, including former Maryland Reps. Al Wynn and Donna Edwards, and Attorney General Anthony Brown (D), who served in Congress from 2017-2023.
Considering the conference theme, “Made for This Moment: Power, Policy, and Progress,” Hawkins encouraged elected leaders to remain focused.
“The United States is once again at a crossroads,” Hawkins told The Informer.“At a time when the president is openly promoting racism, expanding injustice, and supporting inequality through his rhetoric and actions, I imagine that the spirit of the late activist Ossie Davis is calling out from his grave to the CBC not to become complacent, but continue to serve as the conscience of the U.S. Congress and remain steadfast, more than ever, in developing a well-defined strategy and a purposeful plan for a better America for all.”
