New Proactive Agenda Advanced at 33rd Annual Legislative Conference Hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) kicked off its 33rd Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) at the new Washington Convention Center today with the announcement of its unique partnership with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies that will impact the 2004 U.S. presidential race. Together the two knowledge-based national institutions will develop an incisive and comprehensive questionnaire that presidential candidates will be asked to complete.

“Each presidential candidate’s response to the questionnaire will be telling,” said ALC Chairperson Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D–Calif.) during the opening news conference. “Answers to the questionnaire will greatly help voters gauge where the candidates stand on the issues that matter most to African Americans and influence what happens in the voting booths in 2004.”
“Our partnership with the Joint Center is an example of collective leadership in action,” said Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), Chairman of the CBCF. “Together we are exemplifying the theme of this Annual Legislative Conference and propelling the Foundation’s new proactive agenda that seeks to effect positive and sustainable change in the African-American community.”

“The CBCF is focused on finding innovative ways to eliminate the disparities that exist in economic development, education and public health for African Americans,” said CBCF President Weldon Rougeau. “The presidential questionnaire will be largely shaped by the intellectual exchange of

ideas and data on these issues plus African globalism during the four days of the legislative conference. The voices heard this week will inform future public policy decision-making.”

Also at the ALC today the Joint Center issued special reports on education, wealth building, public health, and criminal justice. The reports are specifically designed to guide discussions in the ALC Braintrusts and Issue Forums and provide a framework for the Voter Participation Town Hall Meeting featured at the conference.

Collective Leadership – Challenging a Bold New World is the theme of the 33rd Annual Legislative Conference, which runs through Saturday, September 27. With close to 30,000 people in attendance, the ALC is the largest gathering in the United States of African-American leaders from both the public and private sectors.

The ALC is made possible by individual support and corporate sponsorships, which include funding from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Today’s news conference ended with the automobile manufacturer presenting the CBCF with a check for $105,000.

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The Annual Legislative Conference is the premier fund-raising event for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF), which supports the creation and administration of innovative programs addressing issues critical to the well-being and advancement of African Americans and the African Diaspora. CBCF, which is located in Washington, D.C., was established in 1976 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit, public policy, research and educational institute. The CBCF educates future leaders and promotes collaboration among community and business leaders and organized labor to effect positive and sustainable change in the African-American community. Learn more about the work of CBCF by visiting the official Web site at www.cbcfinc.org.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, located in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s premier nonpartisan research and public policy institution focused on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other communities of color. For more information, please visit www.jointcetner.org.

The CBCF serves as a nonpartisan, policy-oriented catalyst to educate future leaders and promote collaboration among community and business leaders, minority-focused organizational leaders, and organized labor to effect positive and substantive change in the African American community.