Congressional Black Caucus: Who they are and what they do

WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) – Since 1969 the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has served the needs of the Black community by being, “The Conscience of the Congress.”

They are the politicians of the people. They represent the concerns and views of the Black community, the oppressed and many other Americans who want to see a better America.

“I believe, however, in addition to being the conscience of this great institution, the 39 extraordinary men and women of the Congressional Black Caucus are also the “Conscience of the Country,” said the CBC Chair, the Hon. Elijah Cummings (D-Md).

“The Members of the Congressional Black Caucus work every- day on behalf of the American people to achieve equality and justice. We choose to stand up and speak out when others choose to sit down and remain silent. We are the voice for the voiceless, and will continue that tradition during the 108th Congress.”

Those are courageous words to speak when you look at the Congress. The CBC comprises 39 out of 435 members, which is less than 10 percent.

Although their numbers have always been small, it has never stopped this group from fighting for what is right for home and abroad.

This year, the CBC hit the airwaves to communicate with their constituency exactly what’s happening in the Congress. They joined with the American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) to air a weekly CBC “Message to America” that began airing on September 1.With more than 25 million listeners each week and over 450 affiliate stations, AURN is the largest network reaching urban America.

“Unfortunately, many people have become so discouraged with the current state of affairs in our country that they have simply decided to ‘tune out.’ Our goal is to get them to tune back in again,” explained Chairman Cummings. “This is the greatest country in the world and as leaders, it is critically important that our vision for this country gets out to those who have elected us to lead. The Congressional Black Caucus, on a weekly basis, intends to promote issues and solutions that speak to the center of people’s lives.”