Reflections from the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (ALC)

Day 1 | Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (ALC):

I began the day at a powerful panel on Amyloidosis, a disease that disproportionately impacts Black communities, affecting 1 in 25 Black Americans. Amyloidosis occurs when proteins build up on soft organ tissue, weakening the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver. Much of the discussion focused on the TTR genetic form, though the AL form was also highlighted.

Takeaways:

• Genetic testing and symptom awareness are critical. Early signs often look like carpal tunnel and fatigue.

• Once considered a fatal diagnosis, there are now medications that can extend and improve quality of life.

• Too many patients are bounced from doctor to doctor before diagnosis, which shows why awareness is so urgent.

• I am grateful to JeShaune Jackson for leading this session and @carolynbaldwin for courageously sharing her lived experience.
  
  Next, I joined a conversation on cryptocurrency hosted by Crypto.com. The incomparable Cleve Mesidor explained crypto as a shift in technology, similar to the move from checkbooks to debit cards, and later to electronic payments.
  
  Takeaways:

• Stablecoins like Bitcoin and Ethereum are backed by the U.S.

• Black and Brown communities in the U.S. are currently early adopters, but education is key so that we remain positioned to benefit.

• Applications include faster payments, more direct government disbursements such as COVID stimulus, and decentralization that reduces monopoly control.
  
  I left thinking deeply about what crypto adoption might mean for healthcare billing and payment models, and what it would look like in general low- and middle-income countries, like Haiti.
  
  In between sessions, I explored the exhibits. One standout was BLK Health, founded by fellow Rollins School of Public Health alum Khadijah Ameen, PhD, MPH. Their mission is to advance health equity in Black communities through antiracist education, advocacy, research, and programming. I stepped into their photobooth to share my vision of what resources I would make free and what health equity means to me.
  
  Finally, I attended Advancing Black Maternal Health: A Blueprint for Legislative Change. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than white women, and more than 80 percent of those deaths are preventable.
  
  What is needed:

• Legislative reform, intentional listening, and relentless advocacy.

• Amplifying organizations such as Listen to Me (a DC midwives collective) and Mama Toto’s Village.

• Pushing forward the Momnibus Bill and holding legislators accountable.

• Hearing from leaders like Lucinda Canty, PhD, CNM, FAAN, FACNM, FADLN and Dr. Monica R. McLemore reminded me that this fight requires sustained energy at every level.
  
  The day closed on a high note when I ran into my mentor Uché Blackstock, MD, which was a grounding reminder of why I do this work.

Day 2 | Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (ALC)

Day 2 began with the National Town Hall, where we heard from voices like Maxine Waters and Joy Reid. The conversation touched on democracy, corporate power, and how we consume information.

Themes that stood out for me:

• Building a voter toolkit to drive turnout in 2026

• Fighting for what we cannot always see, even in the face of propaganda, voter suppression, and violence

• Reframing rights as a right to housing, healthcare, and education, and centering reparations as both acknowledgement of harm and a commitment to repair

• Using trusted spaces as engines for civic engagement

• Naming Project 2025 as 55% complete, which should set off alarm bells for all of us
  
  I then moved into a workshop on Health Disparities in Black Menopausal Care.
  
  Key takeaways:

• Menopause is not short and not just an “old lady” issue. It can begin as early as 35.

• Black women often experience menopause more severely, and symptoms can last close to a decade.

• Shame and silence persist, and medical research has largely ignored this stage of women’s health.

  Advocacy tools like the Citizen’s Guide to Menopause Advocacy and resources such as the M Factor film are working to shift the narrative.
  
  Later, I joined a powerful session on the Hypersexualization of Black Women and Girls.
  
  Discussion highlights:

• Sexual abuse and sex trafficking continue to frame Black girls as complicit in their own exploitation, with less recognition of trauma compared to white counterparts.

• There is a critical need for multigenerational and multigendered conversations about sex
  Black girls often enter school with the highest self-confidence, yet structural forces chip away at it, showing up in their bodies and in weathering.

• Training on coercive control is essential to break cycles of exploitation. This was blatant in the recent Diddy trial.
  
  The final and most personal session for me was Haiti Forward: Addressing Security Challenges, Governance, and Economic Opportunities, hosted by Congresswoman @SheilacherfilusMcCormick. Panelists included the founders of Kreyòl Essence @yvecarmomperousse, @MarcAlainbouciault of Banj, and Wyclef Jean.
  
  What stayed with me:

• The Office of Haitian Affairs was closed ordered by the current administration but has now reopened under Sheila's leadership

• The Hope for Haiti Act (H.R. 1114) provides an economic lifeline by supporting Haitian goods in the U.S. Link here: H.R.1114 - 119th Congress (2025-2026): L’Ouverture Economic Development Plan for Haiti Act of 2025 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

• The U.S. interference with Haiti needs to stop

• With 60 percent of the population under 30, every policy must center young people and their futures

• Investments in electricity and internet can unlock voice, education, and job opportunity

• Programs like Educare Haiti Foundation, a robotics initiative in Haiti, show the power of innovation on the ground
  
  Hearing Wyclef close with his reflections was a full-circle moment. I had not seen him in years, so it was a joy to reconnect.

Day 3 | Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (ALC)

I started the day in Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s office for breakfast. I spoke with her about the devastating economic reality facing Black women in 2025. More than 320,000 Black women have lost work this year alone. While overall unemployment is 4.3%, for Black women it is 6.7%. That gap represents 37 billion dollars in lost GDP spending from just 2% of Black women forced out of the workforce. These are coordinated attacks on Black Women, Black Families, and Black Futures. We are the backbones of our communities, and the country suffers when we are pushed out.

Occupations, Mass Deportations a Threat to Black America, hosted by Congressman Maxwell Frost, reframed immigration as not only a Latinx issue, but a Black immigrant, criminal justice, and civil rights issue.

Highlights:

• Black undocumented people are often erased from immigration conversations.

• Gun trafficking is fueled by white men, and cities like Boston and Newark have reduced crime.

• Under Biden, gun stores were shut down while right-wing groups promote “shoot now, pay later.”

• Florida’s 287(g) agreement blurs the line between federal and state enforcement.

• There is a goal to expel 100,000 immigrants, with 45 billion dollars dedicated to it.

• ICE funding outpaces many nations’ militaries, with lowered hiring standards.

• Narratives about “Black crime” are weaponized to justify cleansing.

• There is no wall in Canada, but billions are spent on Mexico’s border.
  

  The Foreign Affairs Africa Braintrust, hosted by Don Lemon, featuring Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, examined how colonialism still blocks prosperity and innovation.
  
  Reflections:

• Migration is natural. White communities tap into diasporic privilege, while Black and Brown people are cut off from histories that are essential for healing.

• In Niger, France extracts uranium to light European cities while Niger faces blackouts.

• 85 percent of African migration is within the continent, but colonial powers dictate resources.

• Africa is oil rich but has only one refinery, forcing crude to be processed abroad and resold at double the price.

• IMF and World Bank structures were set before African nations had a voice.

• British destruction of Somalia’s sugarcane trade shows exploitation was intentional and remains systemic.
  
  We need to build bridges across the diaspora.
  
  The day closed with The Power of Black Mayors, hosted by Angela Rye and featuring Mayor Muriel Bowser, Mayor Andre Dickens, Mayor Brandon Johnson, Mayor Van Johnson, Mayor Barbara Lee, and Mayor Brandon Scott.
  
  Highlights:

• 14 bills are being introduced in DC, including legislation that would charge 14-year-olds as adults. 4 have advanced.

• D.C. must become the 51st state. Taxation without representation is unacceptable.

• Black churches, businesses, and community organizations must rally together more intentionally.

• We must teach our people who does what in government, so we can hold the right institutions accountable.

The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference is not just a convening. It is a reminder that our communities are resilient, visionary, and urgent in the face of challenges. From health equity to economic justice, from Haiti to Africa, from mayors to midwives, the message was clear: our liberation is bound together.