Congressional Black Caucus

Caucus comprising most black members of the U.S. Congress

Congressional Black Caucus

Chair| Yvette Clarke
Founder|

13 founding members

* Shirley Chisholm (NY-12)
* Bill Clay (MO-1)
* George W. Collins (IL-6)
* John Conyers (MI-1)
* Ron Dellums (CA-7)
* Charles Diggs (MI-13)
* Walter Fauntroy (DC-AL)
* Augustus Hawkins (CA-21)
* Ralph Metcalfe (IL-1)
* Parren Mitchell (MD-7)
* Robert N. C. Nix Sr. (PA-2)
* Charles Rangel (NY-18)
* Louis Stokes (OH-21)

Founded| January 4, 1969 (as Democratic Select Committee)[1]
March 30, 1971; 54 years ago (1971-03-30)[2]
Headquarters| Washington, D.C.
International affiliation| Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
Colors|  Red Black Blue
Seats in the House|

55 / 435

(plus 2 non-voting)
Seats in the Senate|

4 / 100

Seats in the House Democratic Caucus|

55 / 213

Seats in House Republican Conference|

0 / 222

Predecessor| Democratic Select Committee (DSC)
Website
cbc.house.gov
www.cbcfinc.org

* Politics of the United States
* Political parties
* Elections

Part of a series on

African Americans

History

|  Periods

* Timeline
* Atlantic slave trade
* Abolitionism in the United States
* Slavery in the colonial history of the US
* Revolutionary War
* Antebellum period
* Slavery and military history during the Civil War
* Reconstruction era
* Politicians
* Juneteenth
* Civil rights movement (1865–1896)
* Jim Crow era (1896–1954)
* Civil rights movement (1954–1968)
* Black power movement
* Post–civil rights era

Aspects

* Agriculture history
* Black Belt in the American South
* Business history
* Military history
* Treatment of the enslaved

Migrations

* Great Migration
* Second Great Migration
* New Great Migration

Culture

|  Lifeways

* Dance
* Family structure
* Film
* Folktales
* Music
* Musical theater
* Names
* Neighborhoods
* Newspapers
* Soul food

Schools

* Education during the slave period in the US
* Education of freed people during the Civil War
* History of African-American education, after the Civil War
* Historically black colleges and universities
* Fraternities

Academic study

* Studies
* Art
* Literature

Celebrations

* Martin Luther King Jr. Day
* Black History Month
* Juneteenth
* Kwanzaa

Economic class

* African-American businesses
* Middle class
* Upper class
* Billionaires

Symbols and ideas

* African-American beauty
* Black is beautiful
* Black pride
* African-American hair
* Good hair
* Stepping
* "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
* Self-determination

Religion

|  Institutions

* Black church

Theologies

* Black theology
* Womanist theology

Non-Christian groups

* Hoodoo
* Black Hebrew Israelites
* African-American Jews
* African-American Muslims
* Nation of Islam
* Louisiana Voodoo
* African Diaspora Religions

Politics

|  Organizations

* Congressional Black Caucus
* Joint Center
* National Black Caucus of State Legislators
* National Conference of Black Mayors

Ideologies

* Afrocentrism
* Anarchism
* Back-to-Africa movement
* Black power
* Capitalism
* Conservatism
* Garveyism
* Leftism
* Liberalism
* Nationalism
* Pan-Africanism
* Patriotism
* Populism
* Radicalism
* Socialism

Civic/economic groups

|  Organizations

* Association for the Study of African
American Life and History
* Black conductors
* NAACP
* National Black Chamber of Commerce
* National Council of Negro Women
* National Pan-Hellenic Council
* National Urban League
* TransAfrica
* UNCF

Sports

* Negro league baseball

Athletic associations and conferences

* Central (CIAA)
* HBCU (HBCUAC)
* Mid-Eastern (MEAC)
* Southern (SIAC)
* Southwestern (SWAC)

Sub-communities

|  Multiethnic

* African-American Jews
* Afro-Puerto Ricans
* Alabama Creole people
* Black Indians
* Black Seminoles
* Mascogos
* Blaxicans
* Brass Ankles
* Creoles of color
* Dominickers
* Freedmen
* Great Dismal Swamp maroons
* Louisiana Creoles
* Melungeon
* Carmel
* Redbone

Specific ancestries

* Americo-Liberians
* Creek Freedmen
* Gullah
* Merikins
* Nova Scotians
* Samaná Americans
* Sierra Leone Creole

Sexual orientation

* LGBT community

Dialects and languages

|  English dialects

* African-American English
* African-American Vernacular English
* Liberian English
* Samaná English
* Tutnese

Languages and other dialects

* Gullah
* Afro-Seminole Creole
* Negro Dutch
* Black American Sign Language

Population

|  US states

* Alabama
* Arkansas
* California
* Florida
* Georgia
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Louisiana
* Maryland
* Mississippi
* Nebraska
* New York
* North Carolina
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Virginia

US cities

* Black mecca
* List of neighborhoods
* Atlanta
* Baltimore
* Boston
* Chicago
* Dallas-Fort Worth
* Davenport
* Detroit
* Houston
* Jacksonville
* Kentucky
* Lexington
* Los Angeles
* New York City
* Omaha
* Philadelphia
* San Antonio
* San Francisco

Historic places

* District of Columbia
* Florida
* Georgia
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Omaha, Nebraska
* North Carolina
* South Carolina
* Texas
* West Virginia

Population count

* US states and territories
* US metropolitan areas
* US cities
* US communities
* Places by plurality of population

Diaspora

* Africa
* Canada
* France
* Ghana
* Israel
* Liberia
* Nova Scotia
* Sierra Leone

Prejudice

|  Racism

* Black genocide
* Race and ethnicity in the US census
* Racism against Black Americans
* Reparations for slavery
* School segregation in the US
* Unarmed African Americans killed by police officers

Stereotypes and media depictions

* Blackface
* Criminal stereotypes
* Hollywood
* Magical Negro
* Minstrel show

* United States portal
* Category
* Index

* v
* t
* e

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is made up of Black members of the United States Congress. Representative Yvette Clarke from New York, the current chairperson, succeeded Steven Horsford from Nevada in 2025. Although most members belong to the Democratic Party, the CBC founders envisioned it as a non-partisan organization, and there have been several instances of bipartisan collaboration with Republicans.[3][4][5][6]

## History

[edit]

### Founding

[edit]

The predecessor to the caucus was founded in January 1969 as the Democratic Select Committee by a group of black members of the House of Representatives, including Charles Diggs of Michigan, Shirley Chisholm of New York, Louis Stokes of Ohio, and Bill Clay of Missouri.[7] As a result of Congressional redistricting and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, more black representatives were elected to the House (increasing from nine to thirteen), encouraging them to establish a formal organization.[7] Diggs, who is acknowledged that to have proposed the Democratic Select Committee,[7] would serve as its chairman from 1969 to 1971.[7]

During a meeting between committee members on February 2, 1971, a motion put forward by Clay to transform the Democratic Select Committee into a formal, non-partisan caucus for African American U.S. Congress members was accepted.[8] During the same meeting, the organization, on the motion of Charles Rangel of New York,[8] then changed its name to the Congressional Black Caucus.[8] The thirteen founding members of the caucus were Shirley Chisholm, Bill Clay, George W. Collins, John Conyers, Ron Dellums, Charles Diggs, Augustus Hawkins, Ralph Metcalfe, Parren Mitchell, Robert N. C. Nix Sr., Charles Rangel, Louis Stokes, and Washington, D.C., delegate Walter Fauntroy.[9] Diggs served as its first chairman from 1971 to 1972.[7] Chisholm referred to the group as "unbought and unbossed".[10] Five founding members of the CBC were also members of Prince Hall Freemasonry, an African-American branch of Freemasonry that became involved in civil rights: Stokes, Conyers, Rangel, Hawkins and Metcalfe.

President Richard Nixon refused to meet with the newly formed group, leading the CBC to boycott the 1971 State of the Union address. After their first joint press conference, Nixon finally met with the CBC on March 25, 1971. The Caucus presented the President with a 32-page document including "recommendations to eradicate racism, provide quality housing for black families, and promote the full engagement of blacks in government".[7] All the members of the caucus were included on the master list of Nixon political opponents.[citation needed]

On June 5, 1972, shortly before the 1972 Democratic National Convention nominated George McGovern for president, the CBC released two documents: the Black Declaration of Independence and the Black Bill of Rights.[10] Louis Stokes read a preamble and both documents into the record of the House of Representatives.[7] The Black Bill of Rights includes sections on jobs and the economy, foreign policy, education, housing, public health, minority enterprise, drugs, prison reform, black representation in government, civil rights, voting rights in the District of Columbia, and the military.[11] These documents were inspired by the National Black Political Convention and its own manifesto, The Gary Declaration: Black Politics at the Crossroads[12] (also called the Black Agenda).

### TransAfrica and Free South Africa Movement

[edit]

South African president Nelson Mandela with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Representative Kweisi Mfume, at an event at the Library of Congress

In 1977, the organization was involved in the founding of TransAfrica, an education and advocacy affiliate that was formed to act as a resource on information on the African continent and its Diaspora.[13] They worked closely with this organization to start the national anti-apartheid movement in the US, Free South Africa Movement (characterized by sit-ins, student protests, it became the longest-lasting civil disobedience movement in U.S. history) and to devise the legislative strategy for the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 that was subsequently passed over Ronald Reagan's veto.[13][14]

### Funding

[edit]

In late 1994, after Republicans attained a majority in the House, the House passed House Resolution 6 on January 4, 1995, which prohibited “the establishment or continuation of any legislative service organization..."[15] This decision was aimed at 28 organizations, which received taxpayer funding and occupied offices at the Capitol, including the CBC. Then-chairman Kweisi Mfume protested the decision. The CBC reconstituted as a Congressional Member Organization.[16]

### Events

[edit]

The caucus is sometimes invited to the White House to meet with the president.[17] It requests such a meeting at the beginning of each Congress.[17]

During the 2020 George Floyd protests, the CBC provided House members with stoles made from kente to be worn for an 8:46-long moment of silence before introducing the Justice in Policing Act of 2020.[18]

## Goals

[edit]

The caucus describes its goals as "positively influencing the course of events pertinent to African Americans and others of similar experience and situation", and "achieving greater equity for persons of African descent in the design and content of domestic and international programs and services."

The CBC encapsulates these goals in the following priorities: closing the achievement and opportunity gaps in education, assuring quality health care for every American, focusing on employment and economic security, ensuring justice for all, retirement security for all Americans, increasing welfare funds, and increasing equity in foreign policy.[19]

Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D–TX), has said:

> The Congressional Black Caucus is one of the world's most esteemed bodies, with a history of positive activism unparalleled in our nation's history. Whether the issue is popular or unpopular, simple or complex, the CBC has fought for thirty years to protect the fundamentals of democracy. Its impact is recognized throughout the world. The Congressional Black Caucus is probably the closest group of legislators on the Hill. We work together almost incessantly, we are friends and, more importantly, a family of freedom fighters. Our diversity makes us stronger, and the expertise of all of our members has helped us be effective beyond our numbers.

Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of African-American studies and popular culture at Duke University, wrote a column in late 2008 that the Congressional Black Caucus and other African-American-centered organizations are still needed, and should take advantage of "the political will that Obama's campaign has generated."[20]

### Congressional Black Caucus PAC

[edit]

The Congressional Black Caucus PAC is a political action committee founded as a political arm of the caucus, aiming "to increase the number of Black Members of the US Congress...support Non-Black Candidates who will champion the needs and interests of the Black Community" and increase the "participation of Black Americans in the political process".[21] Gregory Meeks (D-NY-5) chairs the PAC. The CBCPAC is known for its moderate-lean.[22] The PAC caused controversy when it backed incumbent Michael Capuano, a white man, over challenger Ayanna Pressley, a black woman who ultimately defeated him.[23] Two years later, it backed Eliot Engel, a white incumbent, over Jamaal Bowman, a black challenger who went on to defeat him.[24]

HuffPost reporters questioned how endorsements were made, noting that the executive board included corporate lobbyists over CBC members.[25] Representative Brenda Lawrence (D-MI-14) criticized the PAC's endorsement policies in 2020 and called for it to be reevaluated.[26] Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy nonprofit group, released a letter in 2016 calling on the CBCPAC to cut ties with lobbyists from industries that are "notorious for the mistreatment and exploitation of Black people" including private prisons, pharmaceutical companies, student loan creditors, and big tobacco.[27]

## Membership

[edit]

The 13 founding members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)

List

* Shirley Chisholm
(from New York's 12th district)
* Bill Clay
(from Missouri's 1st district)
* George W. Collins
(from Illinois's 6th district)
* John Conyers
(from Michigan's 1st district)
* Ron Dellums
(from California's 7th district)
* Charles Diggs
(from Michigan's 13th district)
* Walter Fauntroy
(from District of Columbia's at-large district)
* Augustus F. Hawkins
(from California's 21st district)
* Ralph Metcalfe
(from Illinois's 1st district)
* Parren Mitchell
(from Maryland's 7th district)
* Robert N.C. Nix Sr.
(from Pennsylvania's 2nd district)
* Charles Rangel
(from New York's 18th district)
* Louis Stokes
(from Ohio's 21st district)

The caucus has grown steadily as more black members have been elected. At its formal founding in 1971, the caucus had thirteen members.[7] As of 2023, it had 55 members, including two who are non-voting members of the House, representing the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

### Senate members

[edit]

As of 2025, there have been twelve black senators since the caucus's founding. The ten black U.S. senators, all Democrats, who are or have been members of the Congressional Black Caucus are Senator Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, elected in 2024 (currently serving), Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware, elected in 2024 (currently serving), Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, elected in 2013 (currently serving), Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, elected in 2021 (currently serving), and Senator Kamala Harris of California, elected in 2016, who resigned in 2021 to take on the vice presidency; former senators Carol Moseley Braun (1993–1999), Barack Obama (2005–2008), and Roland Burris (2008–2010), all of Illinois; former senator Laphonza Butler (2023–2024) of California, and former senator Mo Cowan (2013) of Massachusetts.

Burris was appointed by Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich in December 2008 to fill Obama's seat for the remaining two years of his Senate term after Obama was elected president of the United States. Cowan was appointed to temporarily serve until a special election after John Kerry vacated his Senate seat to become U.S. secretary of state.

Senator Edward Brooke, a Republican who represented Massachusetts in the 1960s and 1970s, was not a member of the CBC. In 2013, Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, also chose not to join the CBC after being appointed to fill Jim DeMint's Senate seat.

### Black Republicans in the CBC

[edit]

The caucus is officially non-partisan; but, in practice, the vast majority of Black politicians elected to Congress since the CBC's founding have been Democrats.

Twelve Black Republicans have been elected to Congress since the caucus was founded in 1971. Of those, only Delegate Melvin H. Evans of the Virgin Islands (1979–1981), Representative Gary Franks of Connecticut (1991–1997), Representative Allen West of Florida (2011–2013), and Representative Mia Love of Utah (2015–2019) joined the CBC.

Edward Brooke was the only serving Black U.S. senator when the CBC was founded in 1971, but he never joined the group and sometimes clashed with its leaders.[28] In 1979 Melvin H. Evans, a non-voting delegate from the Virgin Islands, became the first Republican member in the group's history. Gary Franks was the first Republican voting congressman to join in 1991, though he was at times excluded from CBC strategy sessions, skipped meetings, and threatened to quit the caucus.[29]

J. C. Watts did not join the CBC when he entered Congress in 1995, and after Franks left Congress in 1997, no Republicans joined the CBC for fourteen years until Allen West joined the caucus in 2011, though fellow freshman congressman Tim Scott declined to join.[30] After West was defeated for re-election, the CBC became a Democrat-only caucus once again in 2013.[31]

In 2014, two black Republicans were elected to the House. Upon taking office, Will Hurd from Texas declined to join the caucus, while Mia Love from Utah, the first black Republican congresswoman, joined.[32]

A map of congressional districts represented by Black representatives in the 118th Congress The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation

In 2021, newly elected black Republican Byron Donalds was blocked from joining the CBC.[33][34]

### Non-black membership

[edit]

All past and present members of the caucus have been Black.[citation needed] In 2006, while running for Congress in a Tennessee district which is 60% black, Steve Cohen, who is white, pledged to apply for membership in order to represent his constituents. However, after his election, his application was refused.[35] Although the bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, former and current members of the caucus agreed that the group should remain "exclusively black". In response to the decision, Cohen referred to his campaign promise as "a social faux pas" because "It's their caucus and they do things their way. You don't force your way in. You need to be invited."[35]

Representative Lacy Clay, a Democrat from Missouri and the son of Representative Bill Clay, a co-founder of the caucus, said: "Mr. Cohen asked for admission, and he got his answer. He is white and the caucus is black. It is time to move on. We have racial policies to pursue and we are pursuing them, as Mr. Cohen has learned. It is an unwritten rule. It is understood." Clay also issued the following statement:

> Quite simply, Representative Cohen will have to accept what the rest of the country will have to accept—there has been an unofficial Congressional White Caucus for over 200 years, and now it is our turn to say who can join 'the club.' He does not, and cannot, meet the membership criteria unless he can change his skin color. Primarily, we are concerned with the needs and concerns of the black population, and we will not allow white America to infringe on those objectives.[36]

Later the same week, Representative Tom Tancredo, a Republican from Colorado, objected to the continued existence of the CBC as well as the Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Republican Congressional Hispanic Conference arguing that "It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a color-blind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based solely on race. If we are serious about achieving the goal of a colorblind society, Congress should lead by example and end these divisive, race-based caucuses."[37]

### Black Latino membership

[edit]

Prior to 2017, no one had attempted to be in both the CBC and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). In the 2016 House elections, Afro-Dominican State Senator Adriano Espaillat was elected to an open seat after twice trying to unseat CBC founder Charlie Rangel (who also has Puerto Rican ancestry) in the Democratic primary. Espaillat signaled that he wanted to join the CBC as well as the CHC, but it was reported that he was rebuffed, and it was insinuated that the cause was bad blood over the attempted primary challenges of Rangel.[38]

In the 2018 elections, Afro-Latino Democrat Antonio Delgado was elected and joined the CBC, making no public effort to join the CHC as well. In the 2020 elections, Afro-Puerto Rican Democratic candidate Ritchie Torres published an op-ed claiming that he was prevented from joining both the CBC and CHC as he wished to do,[39] a claim which was denied by then-CBC chair Karen Bass.[40] After being elected to Congress, Torres successfully joined both the CBC and CHC.

## Chairs

[edit]

The following U.S. representatives have chaired the Congressional Black Caucus:[41]

Start  | End  | Chair  | District

|
|
|

1969  | 1972  | Charles Diggs | MI-13
1972  | 1974  | Louis Stokes | OH-21
1974  | 1976  | Charlie Rangel | NY-19
1976  | 1977  | Yvonne Burke | CA-28
1977  | 1979  | Parren Mitchell | MD-07
1979  | 1981  | Cardiss Collins | IL-07
1981  | 1983  | Walter Fauntroy | DC-AL
1983  | 1985  | Julian Dixon | CA-28
1985  | 1987  | Mickey Leland | TX-18
1987  | 1989  | Mervyn Dymally | CA-31
1989  | 1991  | Ron Dellums | CA-08
1991  | 1993  | Ed Towns | NY-11
1993  | 1995  | Kweisi Mfume | MD-07
1995  | 1997  | Donald Payne | NJ-10
1997  | 1999  | Maxine Waters | CA-35
1999  | 2001  | Jim Clyburn | SC-06
2001  | 2003  | Eddie Bernice Johnson | TX-30
2003  | 2005  | Elijah Cummings | MD-07
2005  | 2007  | Mel Watt | NC-12
2007  | 2009  | Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick | MI-13
2009  | 2011  | Barbara Lee | CA-09
2011  | 2013  | Emanuel Cleaver | MO-05
2013  | 2015  | Marcia Fudge | OH-11
2015  | 2017  | G. K. Butterfield | NC-01
2017  | 2019  | Cedric Richmond | LA-02
2019  | 2021  | Karen Bass | CA-37
2021  | 2023  | Joyce Beatty | OH-03
2023  | 2025  | Steven Horsford | NV-04
2025  | present  | Yvette Clarke | NY-09

## Current Leadership

[edit]

* Chair: Yvette Clarke (NY-9, D)[42]
* First vice-chair: Troy Carter (LA-2, D)[42]
* Second vice-chair: Lucy McBath (GA-7, D)[42]
* Whip: Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37, D)[42]
* Secretary: Marilyn Strickland (WA-10, D)[42]

## Current members

[edit]

Congressional Black Caucus women 2019 Congressional Black Caucus in the 118th United States Congress

### United States Senate

[edit]

Delaware

* Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE)

Georgia

* Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

Maryland

* Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD)

New Jersey

* Cory Booker (D-NJ)

### United States House of Representatives

[edit]

Alabama

* Shomari Figures (D-AL-2, Mobile)
* Terri Sewell (D-AL-7, Birmingham)

California

* Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12, Emeryville)
* Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37, Los Angeles)
* Maxine Waters (D-CA-43, Los Angeles)

Colorado

* Joe Neguse (D-CO-2, Lafayette)

Connecticut

* Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5, Wolcott)

District of Columbia

* Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL, Washington)

Florida

* Maxwell Frost (D-FL-10, Orlando)
* Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20, Miramar)
* Frederica Wilson (D-FL-24, Miami Gardens)

Georgia

* Sanford Bishop (D-GA-2, Albany)
* Hank Johnson (D-GA-4, Lithonia)
* Nikema Williams (D-GA-5, Atlanta)
* Lucy McBath (D-GA-7, Marietta)
* David Scott (D-GA-13, Atlanta)

Illinois

* Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-1, Chicago)
* Robin Kelly (D-IL-2, Matteson)
* Danny Davis (D-IL-7, Chicago)
* Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14, Naperville)

Indiana

* Andre Carson (D-IN-7, Indianapolis)

Louisiana

* Troy Carter (D-LA-2, New Orleans)
* Cleo Fields (D-LA-6, Baton Rouge)

Maryland

* Glenn Ivey (D-MD-4, Cheverly)
* Kweisi Mfume (D-MD-7, Baltimore)

Massachusetts

* Ayanna Pressley (D-MA-7, Boston)

Minnesota

* Ilhan Omar (D-MN-5, Minneapolis)

Mississippi

* Bennie Thompson (D-MS-2, Bolton)

Missouri

* Wesley Bell (D-MO-1, St. Louis)
* Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO-5, Kansas City)

Nevada

* Steven Horsford (D-NV-4, Las Vegas)

New Jersey

* Herb Conaway (D-NJ-3, Delran)
* LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10, Newark)
* Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12, Ewing Township)

New York

* Gregory Meeks (D-NY-5, Queens)
* Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8, Brooklyn)
* Yvette Clarke (D-NY-9, Brooklyn)
* Ritchie Torres (D-NY-15, Bronx)

North Carolina

* Don Davis (D-NC-1, Snow Hill)
* Valerie Foushee (D-NC-4, Chapel Hill)
* Alma Adams (D-NC-12, Charlotte)

Ohio

* Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3, Columbus)
* Shontel Brown (D-OH-11, Warrensville Heights)
* Emilia Sykes (D-OH-13, Akron)

Oregon

* Janelle Bynum (D-OR-5, Happy Valley)

Pennsylvania

* Dwight Evans (D-PA-2, Philadelphia)
* Summer Lee (D-PA-12, Pittsburgh)

Rhode Island

* Gabe Amo (D-RI-1, Providence)

South Carolina

* Jim Clyburn (D-SC-6, Columbia)

Texas

* Al Green (D-TX-9, Houston)
* Jasmine Crockett (D-TX-30, Dallas)
* Marc Veasey (D-TX-33, Fort Worth)

Virginia

* Bobby Scott (D-VA-3, Newport News)
* Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-4, Richmond)

Washington

* Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10, Tacoma)

Wisconsin

* Gwen Moore (D-WI-4, Milwaukee)

U.S. Virgin Islands

* Stacey Plaskett (D-VI-AL, St. Croix)

Source[43]

## Prominent former members

[edit]

### Presidents of the United States

[edit]

* Barack Obama (D-US), 44th President of the United States (2009–2017), United States Senator from Illinois (2005–2008), and Member of the Illinois Senate from the 13th district (1997–2004).

### Vice presidents of the United States

[edit]

* Kamala Harris (D-US), 49th Vice President of the United States (2021–2025), United States Senator from California (2017–2021), 32nd Attorney General of California (2011–2017), and 27th District Attorney of San Francisco (2004–2011).

### United States Senate

[edit]

* Carol Moseley Braun (D-IL), United States Ambassador to New Zealand (1999–2001), United States Ambassador to Samoa (2000–2001), United States Senator from Illinois (1993–1999), Cook County Recorder of Deeds (1988–1999), and Member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1979–1988).
* Roland Burris (D-IL), United States Senator from Illinois (2009–2010), 39th Attorney General of Illinois (1991–1995), 3rd Comptroller of Illinois (1979–1991), and Director of the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (1973–1977).
* Mo Cowan (D-MA), United States Senator from Massachusetts (2013)

### United States House of Representatives

[edit]

* William Lacy Clay Jr. (D-MO), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 1st district (2001–2021), Member of the Missouri Senate from the 4th district (1991–2001), and Member of the Missouri House of Representatives from the 59th district (1983–1991).
* John Conyers (D-MI), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan (1965–2017), Dean of the United States House of Representatives (2015–2017), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee (2007–2011), and Chair of the House Oversight Committee (1989–1995).
* Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 7th district (1996–2019), Chair of the House Oversight Committee (2019), and Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 39th district (1983–1996).
* Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2021–2024), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (2013–2015), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 11th district (2008–2021), and Mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio (2000–2008).
* Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida (1993–2021) and Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (1979–1989).
* Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 18th district (1995–2024) and Member of the Houston City Council from at-large post (1990–1995)
* John Lewis (D-GA), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia's 5th district (1987–2020), Member of the Atlanta City Council from at-large post 18 (1982–1985), and 3rd Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (1963–1966)
* Charles Rangel (D-NY), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York (1971–2017), Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee (2007–2010), and Member of the New York State Assembly from the 72nd district (1967–1970).
* Cedric Richmond (D-LA), Director of the Office of Public Engagement (2021–2022), Senior Advisor to the President (2021–2022), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana's 2nd district (2011–2021), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (2017–2019), and Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 101st district (2000–2011).

## Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls

[edit]

Further information: Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls

The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls is a separate caucus of the United States Congress founded in 2016 to advance issues and legislation important to the welfare of women and girls of African descent.[44][45]

## See also

[edit]

* United States portal
* Politics portal

* Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
* African Americans in the United States Congress
* Pan-African Congress

## References

[edit]

1. ^ https://cbc.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=2740
2. ^ "The History of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)". United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
3. ^ "Congressional Black Caucus". Congressional Black Caucus. November 28, 2018.
4. ^ "Congressional Black Caucus Chair Cedric Richmond Says Goodbye to Seat as he Prepares to Pass "Chair" to Rep. Karen Bass". January 2, 2019.
5. ^ "The Blue Wave Of Black Politicians Gets Sworn In". January 3, 2019.
6. ^ "Joyce Beatty elected next chair of Congressional Black Caucus". beatty.house.gov. December 4, 2020. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Office of the Historian (2008). ""Creation and Evolution of the Congressional Black Caucus," Black Americans in Congress, 1870–2007". History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
8. ^ a b c History, Art and Archives. "The Rise of the Congressional Black Caucus". U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
9. ^ "History". Congressional Black Caucus. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
10. ^ a b Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta (June 13, 2020). "Opinion: The End of Black Politics". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
11. ^ 1972 Congressional Record, Vol. 118, Page E19754 (June 5, 1972)
12. ^ "Gary Declaration, National Black Political Convention, 1972 | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". www.blackpast.org. January 21, 2007. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
13. ^ a b "TransAfrica". African Activist Archives. Michigan State University. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
14. ^ "Senate Rebukes Reagan". The Courier. October 3, 1986. p. 28. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
15. ^ "thomas.loc.gov 104th Congress, H.Res.6, Section 222" (PDF).
16. ^ Cortés, Carlos E. (2013). "House of Representatives, U.S.". Multicultural America: A Multimedia Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. p. 1118\. ISBN 9781452276267.
17. ^ a b Josephine Hearn (February 13, 2007). "Black Caucus to Make Rare White House Visit". Politico.
18. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (June 16, 2020). "The Dress Codes of the Uprising". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
19. ^ "Priorities of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 109th Congress". U.S. House of Representatives. Archived from the original on December 30, 2005. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
20. ^ Jackson, Camille (December 19, 2008). "Hitting the Ground Running". Duke University This Month at Duke. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
21. ^ "About CBCPAC".
22. ^ Mutnick, Ally; Caygle, Heather; Ferris, Sarah (April 28, 2020). "Black Caucus seeks to squash liberal insurgents". Politico.
23. ^ Dezenki, Lauren (May 18, 2018). "CBC endorses Capuano in Massachusetts Democratic primary". Politico.
24. ^ Ferris, Sarah; Caygle, Heather (September 10, 2020). "Black Caucus faces upheaval as progressive pressure rises". Politico.
25. ^ Marans, Daniel; Lewis, Philip; Fuller, Matt (June 26, 2020). "Is The Black Caucus Ready To Ride The Progressive Wave?". HuffPost.
26. ^ Bresnahan, John; Caygle, Heather; Ferris, Sarah (June 25, 2020). "'We cannot flunk this moment': Black Caucus looks to deliver". Politico.
27. ^ "Civil Rights Group Calls on Congressional Black Caucus PAC to Cut Ties with Industries that Harm Black People" (Press release). Color of Change. March 1, 2016 - via Common Dreams.
28. ^ "Brooke, Edward William, III". History, Art & Archives: United States House of Representatives. January 3, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
29. ^ Barnes, Fred (March 17, 2011). "Rep. Allen West – and the Congressional Black Caucus". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved March 2, 2015.[dead link]
30. ^ Southall, Ashley (January 5, 2011). "Republican Allen West Joins Congressional Black Caucus". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
31. ^ Alvarez, Lizette (November 20, 2012). "Republican Concedes House Race in Florida". The New York Times.
32. ^ "Congressional Black Caucus Members". Congressional Black Caucus. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
33. ^ Goba, Kadia (June 9, 2021). "The Congressional Black Caucus Is Blocking A Black Republican From Joining The Group". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
34. ^ Lonas, Lexi (June 9, 2021). "Congressional Black Caucus blocking Black House Republican from joining group". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
35. ^ a b Hearn, Josephine (January 23, 2007). "Black Caucus: Whites Not Allowed". Politico. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
36. ^ Ta-Nehisi Coates (August 8, 2008). "Should a white guy get to join the black caucus?". The Atlantic.
37. ^ "Tancredo: Abolish black, Hispanic caucuses". NBC News. January 25, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
38. ^ Caygle, Heather (February 3, 2017). "Black Caucus chafes at Latino who wants to join". Politico. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
39. ^ Torres, Ritchie (July 19, 2020). "I'm Afro-Latino, but I can't join both the black and Hispanic caucuses in Congress. That must change". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
40. ^ Barrón-López, Laura; Caygle, Heather (July 22, 2020). "CBC head: Nothing is stopping Afro-Latinos from joining both Black, Hispanic caucuses". Politico. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
41. ^ "Congressional Black Caucus Chairmen and Chairwomen, 1971–Present". Black Americans in Congress. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
42. ^ a b c d e "Congressional Black Caucus Elects Executive Committee for the 119th Congress". Congressional Black Caucus. December 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
43. ^ "Congressional Black Caucus". cbc.house.gov. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
44. ^ "It's Official: We Now Have a Congressional Caucus For Black Women and Girls". Essence. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
45. ^ Workneh, Lilly (March 22, 2016). "There's Now Officially A Congressional Caucus On Black Women And Girls". HuffPost. Retrieved August 31, 2019.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Singh, Robert (1998). The Congressional Black Caucus: Racial Politics in the U.S. Congress. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

## External links

[edit]

* Congressional Black Caucus website
* Congressional Black Caucus Institute website
* Congressional Black Caucus Political Education & Leadership Institute
* Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
* A voice: African American Voices in Congress (Congressional Black Caucus online archive)

* v
* t
* e

Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus

* Diggs
* Stokes
* Rangel
* Burke
* Mitchell
* Collins
* Fauntroy
* Dixon
* Leland
* Dymally
* Dellums
* Towns
* Mfume
* Payne
* Waters
* Clyburn
* Johnson
* Cummings
* Watt
* Kilpatrick
* Lee
* Cleaver
* Fudge
* Butterfield
* Richmond
* Bass
* Beatty
* Horsford
* Clarke

* v
* t
* e

United States Congress

* House of Representatives
* Senate
* Joint session
* (118th → 119th → 120th)
* Lists of the United States Congress

Members and leaders

| Membership|

| Members|

* By length of service
* By shortness of service
* Youngest members
* Non-voting members
* Unseated members

|

Senate|

* Members
* seniority
* Dean
* Former
* Expelled or censured
* Classes
* Born outside the U.S.
* Resigned
* Appointed
* Switched parties

House|

* Members
* seniority
* Dean
* Former
* Expelled, censured, and reprimanded
* Served a single term
* Lost re-election in a primary
* Switched parties
* Elected but did not serve

New members|

* 90th (1967)
* 91st (1969)
* 92nd (1971)
* 93rd (1973)
* 94th (1975)
* 95th (1977)
* 96th (1979)
* 97th (1981)
* 98th (1983)
* 99th (1985)
* 100th (1987)
* 101st (1989)
* 102nd (1991)
* 103rd (1993)
* 104th (1995)
* 105th (1997)
* 106th (1999)
* 107th (2001)
* 108th (2003)
* 109th (2005)
* 110th (2007)
* 111th (2009)
* 112th (2011)
* 113th (2013)
* 114th (2015)
* 115th (2017)
* 116th (2019)
* 117th (2021)
* 118th (2023)
* 119th (2025)

Leaders|

| Senate|

* President
* list
* President pro tempore
* list
* Leaders
* Democratic Caucus
* Chair
* Secretary
* Policy Committee Chair
* Republican Conference
* Chair
* Vice-Chair
* Policy Committee Chair

|

House|

* Speaker
* list
* Leaders
* Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group
* Democratic Caucus
* Republican Conference

Districts|

* List
* Apportionment
* Gerrymandering

Groups|

| Congressional caucus|

* Caucuses of the United States Congress

|

Ethnic and racial|

* African-American members
* Senate
* House
* Black Caucus
* Arab and Middle Eastern members
* Asian Pacific American members
* Asian Pacific American Caucus
* Hispanic and Latino members
* list
* Hispanic Caucus
* Hispanic Conference
* Jewish members
* Jewish Caucus
* Native American members

Gender and sexual identity|

* LGBTQ members
* Equality Caucus
* Women
* Senate
* House
* Issues Caucus
* current House

Occupation|

* Physicians

Religion|

* Buddhist members
* Hindu members
* Jewish members
* Mormon (LDS) members
* Muslim members
* Quaker members
* Sikh members

Related|

* By length of service historically
* Current members by wealth
* From multiple states
* Died in office
* 1790–1899
* 1900–1949
* 1950–1999
* 2000–present
* Killed or wounded in office
* Party switchers
* Slave owners

Powers, privileges, procedure, committees, history, media

| Powers|

* Article I
* Copyright
* Commerce (Dormant)
* Contempt of Congress
* Declaration of war
* Impeachment
* Inquiries
* Trial
* Naturalization
* "Necessary and Proper"
* Power of enforcement
* Taxing/spending

|

Privileges|

* Salaries
* Franking
* Immunity

Procedure|

* Act of Congress
* list
* Appropriation bill
* Bill
* Budget process
* Censure
* Closed sessions
* House
* Senate
* Cloture
* Concurrent resolution
* Continuing resolution
* Dear Colleague letter
* Discharge petition
* Enrolled bill
* Expulsion
* Joint resolution
* Joint session
* list
* Lame-duck session
* Magic minute
* Majority of the majority (Hastert Rule)
* Multiple referral
* House procedures
* Quorum call
* Reconciliation
* Rider
* Saxbe fix
* Sponsorship
* Suspension of the rules
* Unanimous consent
* Veto
* Line-item veto
* Pocket veto

Senate-specific|

* Advice and consent
* Blue slip (U.S. Senate)
* Classes
* Executive communication
* Executive session
* Filibuster
* Jefferson's Manual
* Senate Journal
* Morning business
* Nuclear option
* Presiding Officer
* Recess appointment
* Reconciliation
* Riddick's Senate Procedure
* Senate hold
* Senatorial courtesy
* Seniority
* Standing Rules
* Tie-breaking votes
* Traditions
* Treaty Clause

Committees|

* Chairman and ranking member
* Of the Whole
* Conference
* Discharge petition
* Hearings
* Markup
* Oversight
* List (Joint)
* List (House)
* List (Senate)
* Select and special
* Standing
* Subcommittees

Items|

* Gavels
* Mace of the House
* Seal of the Senate

History|

* House history
* memoirs
* speaker elections
* Senate history
* election disputes
* memoirs
* Continental Congress
* Federal Hall (1789–1790)
* Congress Hall (1790–1800)
* Old Brick Capitol (1815–1819)
* Biographical Directory
* Divided government
* Party divisions

Media|

* C-SPAN
* Congressional Quarterly
* The Hill
* Politico
* Roll Call

Capitol Complex (Capitol Hill)

| Legislative
offices|

* Congressional staff
* Gov. Accountability Office (GAO)
* Comptroller General
* Architect of the Capitol
* Cap. Police
* Board
* Cap. Guide Service
* Congr. Budget Office (CBO)
* Congr. Workplace Rights (OCWR)
* Library of Congress
* Gov. Publishing Office (GPO)
* Technology Assessment

|

Offices|

| Senate|

* Curator
* Historical
* Library

|

House|

* Congr. Ethics
* Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Operations
* Interparliamentary Affairs
* Law Revision Counsel
* Legislative Counsel
* Library

Employees|

| Senate|

* Secretary
* Chaplain
* Curator
* Historian
* Librarian
* Pages
* Parliamentarian
* Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper

|

House|

* Chaplain
* Chief Administrative Officer
* Clerk
* Doorkeeper
* Floor Operations
* Floor Services Chief
* Historian
* Pages
* Board
* Parliamentarian
* Postmaster
* Reading Clerk
* Sergeant at Arms

Library of
Congress|

* Congressional Research Service
* reports
* Copyright Office
* Register of Copyrights
* Law Library
* Poet Laureate
* THOMAS
* Adams Building
* Jefferson Building
* Madison Building

Gov.
Publishing Office|

* Public Printer
* Congressional Pictorial Directory
* Congressional Record
* Official Congressional Directory
* U.S. Gov. Manual
* Serial Set
* Statutes at Large
* United States Code

Capitol Building|

* List of artwork at the United States Capitol complex
* List of portraits in the United States House of Representatives collection (A-J)
* Brumidi Corridors
* Congressional Prayer Room
* Crypt
* Dome
* Statue of Freedom
* Rotunda
* Hall of Columns
* Statuary Hall
* Visitor Center
* The Apotheosis of Washington
* Statue of Freedom
* Declaration of Independence painting
* Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States
* Apotheosis of Democracy
* Progress of Civilization Pediment
* First Reading of the Emancipation Proclamation of President Lincoln
* Surrender of General Burgoyne
* Surrender of Lord Cornwallis
* George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door
* Revolutionary War Door
* Columbus Doors
* Washington at Princeton
* Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way
* VP's Room
* VP Bust Collection

Office
buildings|

| Senate|

* Dirksen
* Hart
* Mountains and Clouds
* Russell

|

House|

* Building Commission
* office lottery
* Cannon
* Ford
* Longworth
* O'Neill
* Rayburn

Other
facilities|

* Botanic Garden
* Health and Fitness Facility
* House Recording Studio
* Senate chamber
* Old Senate Chamber
* Old Supreme Court Chamber
* Power Plant
* Webster Page Residence
* Subway

Related|

* Capitol Hill
* United States Capitol cornerstone laying

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Australia
* Israel

People|

* Trove

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template