The prosperity of African Americans and the effort to save democracy in the U.S. will be the subject of the 2024 National Town Hall Meeting that will take place at the upcoming Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference (ALC).
This year’s National Town Hall, themed “Pathways to Prosperity: Advancing Democracy and Black Economic Opportunity,” is scheduled for Sept. 12 from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest D.C., as part of the second day of the ALC.
“Black Americans continue to be left behind when it comes to economic opportunity and prosperity,” said Dr. Jonathan M. Cox, the vice president for CBCF’s Center for Policy Analysis and Research. “In recent decades, the wealth gap between Black and white Americans has increased significantly, with the median wealth of white American families being more than six times the median wealth of Black families. Historical processes like the systematic exclusion of Black Americans from national social programs that helped build the middle class, as well as ongoing discrimination in housing, lending and hiring practices, tax policies, the current criminal legal system, voting rights and democratic participation, and beyond, have all contributed to the current realities of Black economic life.”
Cox pointed out that racial wealth gap disparities cost the American economy trillions of dollars and said closing the gap would increase the U.S. gross domestic product.
He also noted that panelists, while not finalized at the time of this publication, will be asked to discuss the barriers to Black economic advancement and equality while outlining the way forward.
“This discussion will serve as a call to action for policymakers, business leaders, and community advocates to collaborate on creating a more just and prosperous society, fostering an environment where equity and prosperity can flourish for all,” he said.
Importance of the CBCF ALC Town Hall
Historically, the town hall meeting has generated discussion among the nation’s leaders.
On September 22, 2005, then U.S. Sens. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) joined the Town Hall Meeting on Poverty that included speakers such as actor-musician Harry Belafonte and actress Alfre Woodard.
The 2005 town hall occurred a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans metropolitan area and caused 1,392 fatalities and $186.3 billion.
During the event, Obama said: “All of us are complicit in the long-term poverty in this nation.”
“Our priority should be whatever works, not what our own party believes,” he emphasized.
Clinton said she introduced a bill to examine what happened during Katrina and why the federal government came up short during the crisis.
“We must re-instill confidence in our government,” she said 19 years ago during the Town Hall. “America has to be strong at home in order to be strong around the world.”
Charles Ogletree, a Harvard legal scholar in the field of criminal justice, served as the moderator of the panel. At the time, he brought down the house when he suggested the Clinton-Obama presidential-vice presidential candidate ticket.
While that particular ticket never came to pass, Ogletree publicly ignited flames for the then-senator, who later became a history-making president, and the then-New York senator, who would become secretary of state and a barrier-breaking Democratic presidential nominee.
Dr. Michael K. Fauntroy is the associate professor of policy and government and the founding director of the Race, Politics, and Policy Center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Fauntroy said the annual meeting serves an important purpose.
“Anytime you can get people together to explain what is going on is positive and important,” Fauntroy, 58, said. “There is so much misinformation out there. The town hall meeting can correct the record.”