Transcripts For CSPAN3 Congressional Black Caucus Holds Town

walters. this is two and a half hours. [ applause ] >> good morning, my brothers and sisters. oh, that is not good enough. good morning, my brothers and sisters. from the faith that the dark past have brought us. we will, we will, we will march on. until victory is won. i welcome you on behalf of the congressional black caucus foundation. you are at the 47th annual legislative conference, a conference you could not afford to miss and be reminded and still i rise. i welcome you again and delighted that you have come for the focus of today's discussion is fighting the systemic destruction of our civil rights, it is very timely, it is urgent and i am confident that we'll have a productive discussion. early this morning, i was at one of our missions for homeless men here in washington, d.c., along with the congressional black caucus foundation spouses. i said to them, we must live with hope, but when you see individuals where the system has failed them, where there is no future, then you know that we have to stand in the gap. i did not leave them with that thought. they are deserving of dignity like everyone else, but when you deny a man, a woman civil's rights, you take away their life, their dignity and their future in the congressional black caucus foundation and the black caucus, we are not going to allow that to happen. i'm pleased to see we have a multigenerational audience this morning. the folks from my generation, young, understand firsthand what it means to gain representation in our democracy. we are painfully aware of the sacrifices that remain to bring our nation closer to making real its values of freedom, equality, value and justice for all. we do not deny those many the millennial generation will not be embedded with the source of soleness they will understand, too, but it is our challenge to make it real. right now, there's a dangerous undercurrent in this nation in which some would like to roll back our progress, from muslims to immigrants to african-americans hispanics, women, people of different view, different orientation. different faith. that will not stand. in this nation, and we should not allow it to stand. these ideas are derived from fear, ignorance and the short-sighted notion that prosperity for one group must be achieved or maintained by subordinating other groups. i'm here to tell you that we, as a people, are not going backwards ever, ever again. furthermore, we as a nation can do better than this. if you will listen, attorney general sessions, you may hold the post of the person who is supposed to be the man of justice. but we will determine the justice of ourselves. and we will determine and ensure and make that you do not undermine the justice that we deserve. you will not snatch our civil rights or our bloodline away from us, ever, ever again no matter which southern democracy you may claim that you come from. we can build an american society that supports the needs and aspirations of everyone within it. as african-americans, we have had to make moral leadership during critical points in the nation's history. during the civil rights movement, we had a peaceful movement to force this nation to live up to its stated principles. no one will ever say that we are not law-abiding, that we want the laws to abide by us. if necessary, we can, and we will do that movement again. as has already been done. you will hear from two pioneers. young people, we are excited about your energy and your commitment to propel the next phase of government. we know you're coming and you will move government forward. i i'm asking that every one of you in the room and those watching on tv and online to engage your peers and to get involved and amplify your voices. loudly and clearly. did you hear subcommittee amplify if your voices loudly and clearly? are you going to amplify those voices? [ cheers and applause ] now, the only must be pushed back against the assaults on our rights and frankly, the the almost deadly effort to everything we know to be good and right. we must keep driving this movement forward. all of us together. we cannot take for granted the blood or the blood. or the blood. sweat and tears. of our elders and ancestors that endured so we cannot only survive. that we would one day begin to drive. we cannot take for granted. brothers. that we've in the streets. through the hands of those who wish to take away the life of our young brothers and leave mothers mourning. we know the role call. we cannot let them down. i'm optimistic. that our participation in this town hall will be well spent for we'll give you the tools to em bolden and strengthen you. i know that this will be the catalyst for the collective action in months to come. legislation that is being driven by the congressional black caucus and those who think well all throughout the congress of democratic leadership and others. that will make a difference. i'm very pleased with the distinguished panelists we have assembled here this morning. and i want to take just a moment to acknowledge and thank them for being here with us. it is of course you'll have two very special guests that will be specially introduced in just a few minutes. i'm so excited about that chat, but on our panel, we have miss vennita, the president and ceo. we have ms. tameca, from the women's march on washington and formally with the national action network. clayola brown of the a. phillip randolph institute and clarence e. cox who will tell it like it is. thank you, all of you, for making the time to participate in this very timely discussion. i look forward to joining you on this panel. along with my colleague, congressman bc, who is the co-chair along with robin kelly. on the related note, i want to give special thanks to our sponsor of this event, very want to give them thanks to the service employees international union. would you give them a hand, please? organized labor movements have taught us over decades as i said to them backstage about the power of unity, the necessity of fairness. the values and compromise and collaboration, so we are so very happy to have your support but also to have the seiu as our thought partners. before we get started, i want to make sure we bring to the stage the leader of the organization who is brought all together and as i bring her to the stage, let me say special note of thanks from those of us impacted by hurricane harvey. we are so grateful that the alc has dedicated this alv annual time for all of you to the survivors of hurricane harvey, hurricane irma, and now hurricane maria. before i left, i buried one of those valiant servants of the people who left in the midst of the storm and said i've got to get to work and ever made it. we lost so many, but i am grateful one an unit ued and we won't forget them, ever. that is because we have worked together with the woman who is leading the change and the charge to build and maintain the pipeline of leaders that will give voice to our agenda. ladies and gentlemen, let's warmly welcome the president and ceo of the congressional black caucus foundation, ms. a. shaniece washington. thank you all. stand in the gap. >> thank you, madam chair woman and good morning to each of you. good morning. and welcome. so grateful for your presence here this morning. for what i predict will be a passionate and thought provoking series of discussions over the next two hours. the national town hall is an important part of the annual conference as it brings change makers for a state of the black community, our agenda and the steps it must take to move it forward. the mission of the congressal black caucus foundation is to advance the global black community by developing leaders and forming policy and educating the public. one of the foundation's most important functions is providing transformational leadership opportunities to the next and now generation of policymakers, thought leaders and innovators. we accomplish this through our fellowship, internship, scholarship and study abroad programs which provide access to the halls of congress, private sector companies, as well as learning about the policy-making process in other countries. there is no other pathway to this kind of access. and at this time in our country's history, there's hardly been a greater need to see a new generation of public servants. since the inception of the congressional black caucus foundation, we have placed thousands of interns, hundreds of public policy fellows, and we have disbursed tens of millions of dollars in scholarship funds. thank you for supporting this conference as it enables us to continue the important work we undertake to include convening nearly 10,000 people each september to discuss those issues most critical to the global black community. it is now my pleasure to introduce you to the 2016-2018 cohort of public policy fellows. priscilla barber, who is currently serving on the house committee on energy and commercial, energy and environment subcommittees. [ applause ] zoe cador, serving with the american petroleum institute. [ applause ] serving on the house energy and commerce committee, democratic staff. abd abdul densy. power africa division. ronald madlock. erin robinson. house committee on the workforce. and kimberly toots of house committee on education and the workforce as well. i encourage you to connect with them during the conference and learn about the cbc leadership institute and their experiences, and i also ask that you consider supporting these programs by making a contribution to the cbc foundation through one of our giving programs, and i'd like to tell you a little bit about it. there's an opportunity to contribute that's a win-win opportunity, and it's with one of our partners, uber, the ride-sharing app. they are supporting the conference by offering a discount to users who use the cpcfalc 2017 discount code. cbcfalc 2017 discount code. each time you take uber using the code, they will make a donation to cbcf. so please be sure and put it in your phone now and have it ready when you leave the convention center, and that code will be active through sunday. i would also like to express a heartfelt appreciation to seiu for their sponsorship of this national town hall event which not only helps bring all of us together but also support the the foundation's program. and importantly, thank each of you. thank you for investing your time and resources to be here this week and for your participation in the discussions. it not only signals that you understand your civic responsibility, but you also have a sense of what is at stake and importantly committed to driving our collective mission. enjoy the regulare rest of your thank you. [ applause ] it is now my pleasure to bring out the chair of the congressional black caucus. he is indeed a champion for the agenda in congress. he hails from new orleans, louisiana, a city that understands all too well how crises can devastate communities, but also brings out the humanity in people. this favorite son of new orleans is a well-seasoned, pardon the pun, to lead in the face of the challenges we face as a political collective. we all thankful for his leadership and bold voice in congress. please give a warm welcome to congressman cedric richmond. [ applause ] >> let me say thank you for your kind introduction. we appreciate your leadership and the partnership we enjoy with the congressional black caucus foundation. to my colleague, sheila jackson lee, we watch with special appreciation your strength and perseverance alongside your houston community during and after devastation of hurricane harvey. you know the folks of my hometown, new orleans, we've been there, we've done that. and we thank you for welcoming us to their city and taking care of our victims of hurricane katrina and rita, so we really appreciate it and we are here for you. and good morning and welcome to all of you. i'm always excited to be with our constituents, all of you, who have come from near and far to share, to listen, to network and to strategize around our national agenda. this legislative conference and events like this town hall are so important because they offer a very unique opportunity for the congressional black caucus to bring together our heroes and our thought leaders to focus our hearts and minds on our collective agenda. the alarming rise in hate rhetoric and crimes and attempts to normalize white supremacy language but more importantly, related policy, would not be left unchecked by us. we must treat these occurrences in the same way we respond to other nag crisis. we must band together, leverage our allies and activate all of our resources, including but certainly not limited to getting everyone committed to vote in every election. our unified participation in policy-making can move us closer to access and equity that we must have in order to progress. we know well that when we have equity and opportunity, public health and safety, justice, education and economic justice, when we are free to prosper and thrive, our nation will also thrive and reach its full potential. i'm looking forward to the many discussions, ideas and inspiration that will come from today's town hall discussion and from the events to follow all over the weekend. we're listening. we're learning, and we will undoubtedly be energized to keep fighting the good fight on behalf of you, our constituents. and to uphold our responsibility as the conscience of the congress. our ancestors and edelders have hav ha ha invested a great deal. i want you to hear briefly from my two colleagues, they're also co-chairs and instrumental in putting together the agenda for this conference, bringing us all hire here. so at this time please help me bring out the co-chairs of the congressional black caucus's 47th annual legislative conference, congresswoman robin kelly representing the second district in illinois and congressman marc veasey from texas. >> good morning. thank you chairman richmond for all your work on behalf of the congressional black caucus and thank you to your commitment for empousching communiti empousching peecople of color. welcome and good morning to all of you attending the 47th annual black caucus congressional conference. thank you for caring enough to get involved. as my friend and former president barack obama put it, we are the change we seek. and that's exactly why we are here today. we are the parks of resistance, reform and resilience that this na nation relies on. the annual conference is where we can convene on behalf of our respective communities and make a difference to the strength of our ideas. and that's what this nation needs. strength, ideas and change. elections matter. ideas matter. and right now gwe can see, feel and hear how much of a difference an election can make. the alc is going to feel a lot different, but this country fil feels a lot different than it did last year. no matter what obstacle we face, we will rise. there's a fierce urgency right now. we have a new mission that begins this week. let's be bold, let's be purposeful, let's not let an opportunity pass us by or a moment go to waste to make the change that we need right now. and this morning's national town hall is the perfect beginning to do just that. let me thank my co-chair, marc veasey from texas. i am thankful for your partnership. is there anything you'd like to say this morning? >> absolutely, thank you, robin. it is so energizing to be here with you, our constituents and colleagues to focus on a national agenda. the fact that all of you are here this morning, full of energy, full of energy, right? full of energy and ready to engage tells us something about your mind set and your commitment. you're ready to put yourself in tough conversation and places so that you can be part of the solution. i'm lucky to be among you and inspired to do more and push harder on those days when the fight for justice is a steep, uphill battle. as co-chair of this year's conference, i encourage you to fully engage in the sessions and networking opportunities and to think strategically about the fire that we can spark here in 2017. i'm asking you to believe in our ongoing process. i'm asking you to make a promise to yourself and your peers that you will not let that spark die when you go back to your neighborhoods and cities. and we are counting on you to support us and hold us accountable until we achieve the future we collectively envision for all of our communities. thank you. [ applause ] having a moderator is important. and our moderator for the, for this panel is going to be jeff johnson, jeff johnson, moderator. [ applause ] >> that was intro. good morning. good morning. it is fantastic to be here with you. for those of you who don't know me me. my name is jeff johnson, a journalist, a bootleg act vest, a servant who has worked with many of you in the room and supported many of you. and more than anything i am honored and privileged to be able to guide you through this conversation this morning. where do i start? because we're talking about fighting the systemic destruction of our civil rights. and if we didn't know that was timely, many of us can be reminded. when we talk about civil rights, we're talking about african-american access to equity, criminal justice, representation through voting rights among other issues. but when we talk about civil rights, i think even today we need to deal with an antiquated narrative versus a current narrative. and i don't though about you, but i'm tired of talking about civil rights through the lens of work and things we've already been given and survival versus pousch. a -- power. if we don't talk about power through the act to leverage that which this country has through prosperity then we're still begging people to give us what we have helped this country earn. so let's be clear. we will talk about equity as it relates to issues of policy, but if we're not talking about power, we're still being pimped, even in the name of moving towards what we claim we want. i know that makes some of you uncomfortable. i don't care. this morning we're going to tackle questions around african-american voting participation, black millennials and the strategies to make sure black voices are heard and addressed. still i rise which comes from maya angelou speaks to the fact that we have the ability to rise. but the question is, what are we going to rise to? what are we going to rise to do? where will we rise to do it? because if we're rising to immediate okay rit or rising to be comfortable or complacent, then we might as well stay down. i hope that we would merge, because there is a poet lawyuree that some of you may or may not know, chance the rapper. if you show up in washington, d.c. and in our communities, then the enemy that we're fighting in white supremacy and the tenants of white supremacy understand that not only are we talking about rising but we're mobilizing when we do. so, before we bring out the full panel, i'd like to engage two long-serving iconic leaders in the congress. they're both universally respected. if you don't know them, you've been under a rock, but i think what is key is that both of these representatives are not only present when they're on the hill and in their district but recognized all over the country. their years of service is not just about what they've done in the halls of congress, but about young people that they have developed, about businesses that they've helped support. about people that they've pushed along the way, about what they did when nobody was watching. and that is the true testament of leadership, what do you do, and who do you help when there is no press release, when there is no press conference, when there are no cameras, and these two represent stalwart leadership within the congressional black congress. first he is an american hero who's been fighting for lib irrelevant and dignity. i don't know if we need to give him a warm round of applause. i think we need to give him a level of honor. ladies and gentlemen please welcome congressman john lewis. [cheers and applause] >> so congressman lewis, the most challenging part of this conversation is that we have 15 minutes. and i know that that could be one question for you. with all respect. >> that's okay, brother. >> i am so thankful to be here sitting with you, and i hope we can have a conversation in that short time and then take some questions from the audience, but i think what's interesting in this time is events in charlottesville and other parts of the country awoke peep ople the term white supremacy like they forgot it existed. can you talk to me about the fact that this is white supremacy that never went away, but there is an evolved white supremacy. what are the variances and differences that you see between this mechanism of white supremacy that we're fighting in 2017 versus that which you fought nearly 40 years ago. >> thank you very much for being you. thank you for never, ever giving up or giving in but for keeping the faith. >> thank you. >> you know, some people really thought, and maybe some of us really dreamed that president barack obama was elected it was the end of racism. that it was a new day. a better day. but when we had the most recent election, it helped create the climate, the environment to bring up something that had been a little asleep. and people feel like now they can just get away with doing everything. what happened in virginia made me very sad. we face mobs. we faced the clan. we faced overt, open racism during the '60s. >> manym-hm. >> in 1961, black people and white people couldn't be seated together on a gray hound bus, we were beaten. attempted to burn us on a bus. we were left bloody and unconscious. by angry mobs. when we attempted to march from selma to montgomery just for the right to vote, to protest in a peaceful, orderly, non-violent fashion, we were beaten by the state police. left bloody and some unconscious. and some of our people died. after the march on washington in 1963, there was so much hope, optimism, but 18 days later, a church was bombed in birmingham, where four little girls were killed on a sunday morning. and what we see happening now is not new. the man that some people voted for just made it very comfortable. for people to put on those hoods, put on those sheets. and i tell you, if we're not mindful or watchful, we're going to go back. we've come too far, we've made too much progress to go back. i don't want to go back. i want to go forward. and we must go forward. >> absolutely. when you mentioned that he made people brazen enough to put sheets back on. but there's a whole lot of people with suits on. and so when we look at the prison industrial complex and the fact that private prison stock went up 600% the day after trump was elected, that speaks to more than folks marching through the streets with hoods on. that speaks to a systematic, market-driven, slavery and white supremacy system. so how do we fight that? because clearly there's a way to combat words in the street, but when you start talking about private prisons who gave $500,000 to trump's campaign and then another $500,000 to the inauguration, that's institutional at the highest level and all the profits are on the back of our folks. how do we want to address that, not just the prison piece, but the broader corporate piece, and what are the tools at our disposal to fight it? >> we must organize. some of us have been asleep too long. we need to wake up. we need to use everything in our power, economic resources, but use the vote also. on election day, too many of us are staying at home. people died for the right to vote. the vote is precious. it's almost sacred. it is the most powerful, non-violent instrument or tool we have in a democratic society, and we should use it. it doesn't make sense for us to have private prisons. not at the state level, the county level or the federal level. they must be abolished. shouldn't be making money, profit off of the suffering and pain of people. it is wrong. >> you just mentioned that people stay home on election day, and especially when we look at municipal races. you've got mayors being elected at single-digit turnout numbers which literally should be illegal. but the challenge i have when the electorate either one, isn't excited about their options. number two, they're being asked to vote based on the past versus the constitute. -- future. so i agree with you on the lives into were lost, but when i go to the polls, i'm voting for my children, not for my grandparents. how do we change the narrative where we don't discount all of the work that was done by you and many others to get us here, but we cast a vision of what's possible with that vote and what our vote is worth versus asking young people to vote for history that often we haven't taught them in. >> well, we must vote fort present and for the future. we have to use it. we've got to educate and inspire people to stand up. and i said to my colleagueses. and it doesn't matter whether they are black, white, latino, asian-american, native-american. when you sigh somethiee somethi, not just, you have an obligation to say something. we're too quiet. i believe in the discipline of non-violence, but sometimes i feel like taking a bullwhip and just saying to people, you get your butt up. you go out there and do what you must do. more young people, more women. but, especially young men and women must get involved in the political arena and run for office. become fighters. become warriors. we didn't wait until we were 50 and 60 and 70 years old. >> mm-hm. >> there were young children marching in birmingham. in selma, and all across the south. and they were saying things like, i'm not old enough to register to vote, but let my teacher register to vote. let my mother, my father, my grandparents or my great grandparents. we all can do something. again, jeff, i just said, we're too quiet of the when i spoke at the march on washington. i was 23 years old, a few pounds lighter. i remember saying to that crowd, you tell us to wait. you tell us to be patient. we don't want our freedom gradually. we want it and we want it now. we need to use everything that we have at our disposal to help liberate all of our people. >> let me ask you this. you might be the best person to answer this question. you talk about the powers that be telling back folks during ha ti -- that time to wait and be patient. but i see old black folks telling young black folks the same thing in 2017. you've got to wait. you got to be patient. how do we, in our community, navigate helping young people fight old people and revere elders? >> you can, you can have all of the respect, and you can revere them, your father and your grandfather and your great grandfather and great grandmother's group, but you got to push. >> how did you do it? >> we just got ot theut there ad it. >> y'all fought some old folks. there were some elders that helped you all, that were advisers, mentors and guides, but you all fought some old folks to get them out of the way of blocking a youth movement. i'm curious, what advice would you give, how did you fight old folks even as you revered elders. i'm clear, even in this room now, there's old folks scared of young people and their movement. they want them to talk the way they do, move the way they do. i'm curious, because you did it at a time that in many case pivoted what the ultimate outcome of the movement was. >> i remember in 1961, when we were released from prison during the freedom riots in mississippi, came back to nashville, tennessee and the race relation institute was meeting at fisk university. thurgood marshal was there. and he said something like john lewis, you don't need to continue the freedom riots, too many of you have gone to jail. let's take one case to the united states supreme court. and i said, mr. marshall, thank you, for all that you're doing. thank you for fighting the battle in the courts. but we need a mass movement. and we need that today. we got to make some people uncomfortable. [ applause ] and it doesn't matter whether it's our parents or grandparents or the older leaders. we've got to get out there and really push and pull pickpull, pick'em up, put 'em down. we organized a sit-in in the well of the house. never in the history of our country did a group of members took seats in the well of the house. [ applause ] we got to do some things that may seem to be radical. may seem to be extreme. sometimes you have to get in the way. when i was growing up and asked my mother, my father, my grand parents about the signs that i saw saying white waiting, col colored waiting. they said, boy, that's the way it is. don't get in the way. don't get in trouble. but rosa parks, and dr. king and others inspired me to get in trouble. what i call good trouble, necessary trouble, and it's time for black people, white people of goodwill, asia america and native-american, hispanic, all of us to get in trouble and lead this country in a different direction. >> before we take questions from the audience, and we've got maybe five minutes to take questions from them. you talk about getting in trouble, and you talk about being disruptive, but there is a real fear. and i'm curious how you fought your fear. because you risked a lot on the front leaines of that movement, sacrificed potential jobs, education, and just to say go out and do it, which i agree with you, is important, but navigating and managing the fear of repercussion is something else. what do you say to young and seasoned alike that will be risking something by being disruptive? how do they challenge that fear? >> well, we study. we study the way of peace. we studied the way of love. we studied the philosophy and the dismcipline of non-violence and we made up our minds. that it was better to live free. than to die as a slave. [ applause ] so, you know, i ngot arrested 4 times in the '60s and five times since i've been in the congress and i'm probably going to get arrested again for something. i think you just cannot be at home with yourself. >> mm-hm. >> i lost friends. i loved martin luther king jr. i wrote him a letter when i was 17 years old. he wrote me back and sent me a round trip greyhound bus ticket. he inspired me to get involved. i metro rosa parks when i was 1. and it made me a better human being. we all have to come to that point where we respected dignity and the worth of every human being. but i tell you, things are going to get a little worse. but daylight is going to come, and it won't be long. >> thank you. >> that's why we must still rise. >> thank you. ladies and gentlemen, congressman lewis. [ applause ] a conversation with, a conversation with congressman lewis could easily be a master's level course at an institution. and you wouldn't repeat anything. so the fact that we were able to cover as much as we did in a short period of time, congressman, i thank you so much. there's no way we're getting to every question, but what i would love for you to do is three things. number one, ask the question. number two, ask the question. number three, ask a question. if you have not asked that question within 15 seconds, i will ask you to ask a question. long time leader evof the washington bureau, hillary shelton. >> thank you, congressman lewis, it's an honor to be with you today. thank you for what you've done that we've been able to move voting rights as we have. with that being said, i get the impression after experiencing the 2008 election where more african-americans turned out in the history of the nation and the only thing that bite theat was what happened in 2012, led by the young people, 18-24, we saw a continuous groit in which we delivered the first african-american president to the white house. the question being, it appears to me that it's been chiselled away. supreme court voted to pass in the shelby versus holder decision to eliminate one of the most protections of voting rights. >> and your important question? >> the important question is, what do we do now? >> we must get out and work and organize and mobile identifiize never done it before. i think we're too patient. i think some of us feel that we're so down and to down to get me down. we need to just stand up. be brave, be bold. and push. we all can play a role. we all can do something. we all can make a contribution. and we're too silent. we need to get our young people, our children to read the literature, the books. watch the films. tell them the story inspiesh them to push and pull. in selma, alabama, schoolteachers left a classroom in 1963 and '64. and walked to the courthouse to attempt to register to vote. how can we be at home with ourself when we have someone serving as attorney general as jeff session. how can we be at home with ourselves when we see what is happening to so many of our young people to our brothers and sisters. we need some fire under us. >> yes, ma'am. >> my question is basically, this. the sheets are off, the hoods are off. they're putting on suits. is it possible now for us to start looking at the systemic problems as it relates to extremism, white supremacy, when these people are working in law enforcement, in the correctional institutions. is it possible for us to now start looking in the backgrounds of the people that are abusing our young individuals now by looking into their jackets as excessive force of those people that are doing this, how do we do that? what do we do? >> we need to do what you suggested, that and more. in recent weeks, in the tait stf georgia, not too far from the city of atlanta, a white police officer stopped a car, a young white woman was driving the car. and the police officer said to her in so many words, don't be afraid. we only kill black people. what do we do about it? racism is still deeply embedded in american society. we are not there yet. we're not a post-racial society. we have to call it what it is. at all levels. whether it's in the white house, in the courthouse, we have to deal with it. don't try to sweep it under the rug and say it doesn't exist. we have smart people, scholars, writers. tell the story. we all have stories to tell. >> let me do this really quickly, because, again, we are short on time. i'd like the next two people in line to quickly tell their questions. very quickly, and then congressman lewis will give his closing thoughts. >> good morning, congressman lewis and uncle jeff. my question is, as a young person learning to bridge the gap, how do we handle conversations when people tell us to quickly get over racism or slavery, when we get, americans have given jewish people and native-americans time to go through their ordeal, but when it comes to the african-american person they want us to forget slavery and forget the systematic racism. how do we handle that at next generation in. >> thank u and the last question? >> yes, congressman lewis, thank you so much for this opportunity. i represent stand up for democracy in d.c. coalition. we are still fighting for full citizenship in washington, d.c. how do we, we are at the point now where we have the highest number of co-sponsors for our legislation before the house and senate, but it is not there yet. how do we inspire people in d.c. to go more for just the legislative approach and get out in the street and bring the attention to the nation, to our lack of full rights and citizenship? >> thank you so much. >> so congressman, in some cases those can merge, but how do young people in particular begin to have this conversation or us as a community, when people tell us to get over our pain, to stop talking about our history, and then second is a very specific one about mobilization for d.c. citizenship? >> well, if you visit the african-american museum that is located on the mall, and i think today there are more people visiting the museum than are visiting the white house. [ applause ] how, when you walk through that museum, how can you get over, how can you get over the way our people were treated? >> mm-hm. >> i'm not going to get over it. you don't need to get over it. you must have a capacity and ability in spite of what happened to people to be brave, bold, courageous, organized, they're unorganized. come up with plans to combat the racism that still exists in america. and, in d.c., you have 49 african-american members of congress, right? that make up the black caucus? and then there's hundreds of others that support us. we must do what we can to take the house back, take the senate back. and put on the democratic agenda, the whole question of home rule for d.c. if left up to my, if i had the power to issue an executive order, i would make d.c. a state and give you two senators and two members of the house. [ applause ] but you have to push. you can't be quiet. i just think too many of us are too quiet. >> let me say this. ladies and gentlemen, i and you know those who have given a great deal of their life to work and as they become seasoned, they rest as they deservedly can. this soldier has not. and we appreciate congressman lewis, that as seasoned as you continue to be, you keep seasoning us to make us better. and challenging us to push and serving in your own way. so one more time, ladies and gentlemen, can we give a round of applause to congressman john lewis. >> thank you. [ applause ] >> is there some reason why i did not get a response to the letter that i sent? >> so ranking member waters, first of all, let me thank you for your service to california, being a resident of california, appreciate everything that you -- >> thank you very much. i don't want to take my time. >> i also have appreciated the opportunity to. >> reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. >> the time belongs to the gentle lady from california. >> let me just say to you, thank you for your compliments about how great i am, but i don't want to waste my time on me. i want to foe about the may 23rd letter. you now about it. why did you not respond to me and my colleagues? >> i was going to answer that. >> just go straight to the answer. >> mr. chairman, i thought, when you ra you read the rules you acknowledged that i shouldn't be interrupted and i would have opportunity. >> rye claiming my time. what he failed to tell you was when you're on my time i can reclaim it. he left that out, so i'm reclaiming my time. please, would you respond to the question why i did not get a response, me and my colleagues to the may 23rd letter. >> well, i was going to tell you my response. >> just tell me. go so first of all, okay. let me just say that the department of treasury has cooperated extensively with the senate intel committee, with the house -- >> reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. reclaiming my time. >> the time belongs to the jintjin gentle lady from california. >> perhaps i don't understand the rules. >> reclaiming my time. >> i thought i was allowed to answer questions. >> reclaiming my time. would you please explain the rules, and do not take that away from my time. >> ladies and gentlemen, the representative from california, congresswoman maxine waters! [cheers and applause] >> oh, my goodness. >> i don't know if anybody wants to interview you now. >> wow. >> so congresswoman waters, so i don't waste any of your time, people saw that clip. >> yes. >> and there were a lot of people who thought that was the it first time you went gangster. you have been the same person you were on that video. >> yeah. >> for your entire political career. >> that's right. >> and so i would just like to start by saying thank you. >> welcome. >> for just being who you are. >> thank you. >> in a time when so many are running afraid. >> that's right, thank you. >> so, as we talk about that. >> yes. >> jeff sessions. >> yes. >> in my estimation is even more dangerous than the person in the white house. because he's pragmatically beginning to dismantle work that people in this room and many of those that congressman lewis talked about, the work that they've done, and it's immediately impacting lives. >> that's right. >> can you talk a little bit about number one, some of the most egregious areas that significanc sessions is attacking and pragmatically, how do we respond to it. >> you're absolutely correct. first of all, thank you for being who you are. starting as a very young person, taking the initiative, knowing that you had power and you have worked it tremendously. and appreciate you. please give jeff a big round of applause. thank you. you're absolutely right about jeff sessions. first of all, he's a racist. he's a throwback. he has defined himself throughout his career. and so the president of the united states appointed him to one of the most important offices in all of government. to become the attorney general with the power that he holds to do the damage that he set out to do. i have a session all about jeff sessions. and we're going to deal with his attack on mandatory minimums. we've been working hard to get justice in this system because of the mandatory minimums that have sent so many of our people to prison. young people. small amounts of drugs. crack cocaine, who have ended up with long terms this prison. they have to increase the prison population tremendously. but he now wants to review that. and i wanhe wants to get tough o away with the mandatory minimums relaxations that we have done. and then voting rights. you know, he said that the naacp and the aclu were communist organizations. when they were fighting to make sure they protect the voting rights of our people. consent decrees. this is very important. you take a look at what's happening in st. louis right now. you take a look at all of the targeting of young black males for the most part, but black people in general, all of the lives that have been lost, the justice department now can move in to these local police jurisdictions, take a look at their practices and work at redoing the training, helping to identify where they have been unfair, on and on and on. when they move in and they identify bad police officers with bad records, et cetera, and they have to get rid of them, they work out an arrangement with their local police jurisdiction and then they follow it for years to make sure the changes are made, just like what happened in ferguson, when they determined that all these warrants were being issued unfairly to african-americans traveling through these little cities and towns. well, he's saying that we should leave these local jurisdictions alone. don't interfere with these police departments. let them do their work. the federal government doesn't have any business being involved. and so he does not want to do consent decrees. as a matter of fact he want to undo them all together. then there's affirmative action. he is saying that white people are the victims of affirmative action. i has moved aggressively on all these areas. mandatory minimums. voigting rights, consent decrees, affirmative action. >> can you speak a little bit about the affirmative action piece. i think many are very clear on the voting rights. they pushed local municipalities in police reform. but many states have not dealt with ballot like your state has. what has the impact of that been? because i hear him talking about this false sense of equity and equality, but not talking about what the impact has been in places that has gone through it. >> well. >> california. >> you can take a look at higher education. and you can see for example ucla in california, it has been years since we've had the kind of representation of blacks coming into that institution that would make good sense for a state like california where, you know, black kids are graduating with 3.5, 3.9, but think couldn't get into ucla. and that has happened all over the country. but let me tell you one of the reasons we've not been able to really fight for affirmative action. too many black people were ashamed of affirmative action. and they would say to you, well, no, i got in on my own. i am not a better, i didn't benefit from affirmative action. i was smart enough. well, come on, people, you know? the fact of the matter is, that you have all of these legacy appointments of people who have relatives, who have management in these universities, and they get in because their parents gave money, because their parents part of the alumni, et cetera. so that's real affirmative action for white people that happens in these universities. so black people should not be ashamed of affirmative action that's trying to correct the wrongs of the past. and so it has been very helpful in all of our universities. >> so whether we're talking about jeff sessions around the issues of police reform or the fact that we no long iraer are g to have an sba or a business focus from this white house that's trying to hope develop back businesses at the local level, there's no shortage of areas that we can target. >> just take a look at his cabinet. bet betsy devos, in education, she hasn't seen the inside of a classroom. she doesn't know anything about education. and showe's bringing in all the schools that rip off our people every day who are trying to get an education, who may have dropped out, and they go to one of these colleges that's holding a private, post secondary colleges who are saying come here, we can train you. you get the money from the government in order to, you know, pay their tuition, et cetera. and she's bringing them back in. as a matter of fact, she's bringing into her administration one of the managers of one of the big private post secondary schools that's been a part of all the ripoff. and then look at ben carson. my god. my grandmother would call him an educated fool. here is a man that has a reputation of being, you know, a very highly competent. >> surgeon. >> surgeon. but when he talks about poor people, he says they're the cause of their poverty. he doesn't understand why you didn't do what he did. and why you didn't make it like he made it. and he doesn't know the difference between slavery and immigration. and so he's coming before my committee. if you think i took mnuchin on you watch what i'm going to do to ben carson. that's, no, let's just take a look. look at mnuchin over the treasury secretary, betsy devos in education. ben carson over at hud. wilbur ross who's part of the kremlin clan. and all of these people in the cabinet that he has chosen to run this country. if we're not upset, something's wrong with us. >> and let me stop there. >> yes. >> you are clearly using your job, the speech that you have. >> yes. >> to take them to task. >> that's right. >> whether it's in committee or challenging in back rooms. >> that's right. >> there's a room of people that are also trying to figure out how do they up their own game. what are recommendations? because you've already said, there's no shortage of issues, but if we're not elevating and evolving, let me be more specific. what do you say to young people who have been a part of showing up at rallies, showing up at marches. using social media, effectively using their cultural currency to lift up issues. what do you say to those who want to go to another level about how do i get involved in sustained engagement around these movements and whether it's policy or something else, what do they do? >> well, i think there are a number of things. most of the protests have been after killing. and our young people show up in the street. as they're doing in st. louis now. and that peters out. i mean, it doesn't last very long. so i think it's very important to understand how the systems work and get involved in them in different ways. for example, i know some are saying, well, i don't like the democratic party. i don't like the republican party. you're all the same. we're not the same. but they have not focussed on the differences between the parties. but let's take a look at how we do not involve ourselves in democratic party politics or in electoral systems. first of all, you will see that g organizations not only are involved in raising money that they show up also they come to washington, d.c., they have lobbies and backup their legislators and whether it is the second amendment rights were dealing with choice and whether or not women should have control of their bodies, so we don't have enough people to show up at the capitol and organize the lobbies where they go from office to office. the second thing is, don't understand enough about how to raise money and creates the tasks. these are very important because they support the kind of legislators that you say you want. most of us are out there doing what we say we do and we go to various organizations and to speak. in the women's groups etc.. but when it gets down to how we get elected, the support isn't really there. >> lets me push back a little bit and then we will open up the floor. >> when you talk about the second amendment, they are putting millions of dollars behind it. you've got the cato institute, the heritage foundation and what they are doing and you talk about having the news and media infrastructure pushing out their piece, what infrastructure decision and so how do we play a better job in the money game because we have a trillion dollars of spending power but we still talk about the organizations we don't have. there is a disconnect between the money that we have and how we invest it. what are some of the ways we need to play a more sophisticated role in the politics? >> anybody can create a pack and collect small amounts of money to ask for the contributions in the way that we showed we had a lot of independent organizations. they are not involved necessarily with the republican party. but they are rich and have a lot of money and raise money and used those to influence and contribute the efforts that are important to them. one of the workshops i'm going to do friday morning is about the amount of money that hip-hop has put into this economy. a chilean dollars. when you take a look at jay z. and all the branding they've done and the money that they have raised and you take a look at hip-hop and what we contribute to style and fashion, there's millions, multi-millions of dollars. when are we going to decide that our colleges are just as important as some of the other things? [applause] i want to make sure we can get in as many questions as we can so please come a brief questions and we will get to as many as we can. >> we have a race under north carolina. how do we follow the money and decide who works to get the best one out there. i will tell you one thing. if we can come together >> we are getting ready to see it in atlanta, and to her point, i want to make sure we save this it's not just about young people. there is a level of misogyny that i am seeing where you have men that cannot win a race. a lot of them could win if they move. how do we talk about not just coming together at about the politics of say who is the best candidate for now the reason we have this kind of division and competition that's not in our best interest is because we are not organized. and i will tell you exactly what can be done. if those that claim to have influence and this includes the ministers and so-called community leaders, if they organize a community conference coming to take all of the candidates ahead of time and you interview them and you learn about them and their backgrounds, what they care about, what they've done, what their positions are and then you left them present themselves on the stage and you have a community come out and listen to what they are saying and then you with that conference into that community say we are going to decide to support this one person because this is the person that is aligned with our concerns and this is the person who understands what the job is, and we are going to put the community behind this one person, but you've got to organize and bring the community out to choose the person otherwise everybody will choose themselves and that's why you will have the decision. organize the community. ministers, you have the opportunity to talk to more people on sunday morning in america than anybody else. [applause] do the kind of community work that would collect the right individuals to run for office. the. kudos to you, maxine because i am a young minister. what kind of guidelines can we put in place for the supreme court to not be able to put our civil rights cases in the back of the orderlies. i'm the president of central long island naacp have been trying to encourage people to run for office for next year. what do i do to get them to run for office starting with the local legislation we do have one president running but i would like them to run for congress since they are going to be 435 seats next year and we are trying to encourage them. so many of them do not want to run. they are not interested and i keep telling them. >> i appreciate it is a great question and we will get to it. last question yes ma'am. >> i'm from baton rouge, and what i would like to know is how do you deal with the african-american elected officials that are our color but not our kind who run on issues for disenfranchised communities but once they are elected, they totally abandoned those issues? i am very opinionated and i stick to those issues, but then you become disenfranchised with your colleagues and they abstain from both and don't get involved and don't support you. they may even come against you. how do you feel off with those issues and to those in the community that don't support us? [applause] [cheering] >> all the color commentary. three questions. one, how do we engage the supreme court in general because so many don't engage the supreme court cases that heard and second, are we going to develop a candidate incubators at some point where we are preparing people to run for office and then three how do we hold elected officials accountable during the process and not just during the election? >> you are going to hear over and over again about voting. some people think well, i ago and everyone should understand the price that has been paid by our ancestors for voting but we are not voting or strength. when you talk about appointments by presidents such as to the supreme court, the community has to show up. first of all we should be putting forward somebody that we would like to see the pointed to the supreme court, and we should get behind them and challenge presidents, whether they are republicans or democrats to talk about the kind of people that we want. we get on radio, television, we march in organize. you know, leave it to those to do the right thing. basically they are not quick to do the right thing. they are going to do what is in their best interest and it's all about voting, organizing, showing up and working in order to have influence on the elected officials and a syste in the syt dictates everything that goes on in our country. that's number one. i believe that wanting to be in elected official is in th progrs and i believe that those who have the passion and those who believe that they can make change, those who believe that they can impact the system in some ways are the best candidates. i think if you do everything to try to get something to work that may not be the right person, but i do think that those of us that are in office have to demonstrate we stand for something. this will inspire young people off of more than the thinkin ths just a bunch of people looking to do good for themselves or move up the ladder or have opportunities for themselves. we've got to make sure we are speaking truth to power and standing up for young people but they know we've got their back and when we do that i think more will be entered that when you are trying to encourage them it doesn't really work. when you identify young people in the community who are speaking of, when you identify some of these young people in black lives matter who are saying what needs to be said, then go get them and say i see what you're saying, i see what you're doing and i think you will make a good elected official. let's work with people that have the passion and want to do it and understand how important it is. there's plenty of them in the community but we don't associate with them because we think they are too controversial. you better get controversial. [applause] [cheering] you better call it like it is. we have been shot down. when they say to us about ten or 15 years ago she is playing the race card you should say yeah and i have a lot more of them to play. don't run away from it, and that's what happened. we stopped calling a rac resista racist because they say that's all you dudes who don't do anything else. don't these people intimidate or scare you. you've got to get in the fight and you've got to be in the fight to make some sacrifices and to understand when you're winning and to continue to work and make things happen. and i want to tell you it is time to take off the handcuffs. it's time to get in it. it's time to call it like it is. don't come here and tell me keep doing what you do. when are you going to give me some support? [applause] how many of you and your organizations have said? well, they don't have what it takes, they don't have the law yet. and impeachment is about whatever the congress says it is. it's no all that dictates impeachment and what the constitution says it's high-class misdemeanors and we defined that. bill clinton got impeached. here you have a president who i can tell you and guarantee is in collusion with the rest to undermine our democracy. here you have a president that's obstructing justice and here you have a president that flies every day. thank god the centra god the ces beginning to connect the dots and understand facebook and social media's role in it. when is the black community going to say impeach him, it's time to go after him? [applause] i don't hear you. don't another person come up to me and say you go girl. no, you go. [cheering] and on that note, one other thing i remember about the interaction more than anything else, director of the naacp come in la for an event, and you were walking through the crowd and there was a killer. when you're from our community, you know who the killers are and he was a killer. 6 feet 8 inches, tattoos, walking by you and said hey, congresswoman. so you turn around and he said where's my hug. you went up to him and you embraced him. and i mentioned that because leadership isn't about how you act when you walk with kings. it's how you act when you walk when there's nobody else around. that was 20 years ago and i've never forgotten that because you didn't blink an eye. he knew you and you knew him and it wasn't about how this title or how many felonies or how if he was strapped at the time that he was the son of a community that you were in and you embraced him. i tell that story to say thank you for fighting for all of us all the time. [applause] >> you are so welcome and i want all of us to know these are our children. they belong to all of us and one of the things i recognize during the height of crack cocaine in los angeles and across this country is that we have children that are literally living in crack houses. parents have gotten involved withad gotten involved withdrugo prison. who was standing up for the children? they were dropped off of america's agenda. so, when you get a frantic call a young black man walks past you, his pants are low, his head is turned a way that you don't like and you want to deny them because they decided to have defiance to say i know you don't like me, take a look at me now. i don't like you either. let's do something about that. let's embrace them and accept them and talk with them and invite them in. let's understand the history of black people. where neighbors and communities serve as a village for all of our black kids. let's get back to that and do that. that's what that's all about. when you fear your own, you will never be able to talk with them. [applause] >> so many people in this room have been calling you on on and thank you very much. [applause] [cheering] thank you, thank you very much. i've enjoyed being with you, but i've got to go. i've got to reclaim my time. [applause] [cheering] ladies and gentlemen, can we one more time, congressman john lewis and congresswoman maxine waters. [applause] so, having her perspective and context laid out by seasoned leaders, we are going to bring out a full panel to discuss this erosion of hard-won civil rights progress and how we begin to create power. but before we do that, i don't know if it is unprofessional or a point of personal privilege, but i'm going to do it anyway because number one, i've got to stall for time and number two, because i want to. i wouldn't be able to do what i do in my life without my wife and she didn't even tell me she was coming. i didn't see her. my wife is here and i want to say thank you for surprising me. anand i'm just going to introdue the entire cbc to principled when [inaudible] [cheering] can you say hello to everybody? she's five months old and he's my man so we might code moderate this together depending on his level of interest in the conversation. this next conversation is going to be with a group of individuals who are not only elected officials but our activists runninthat areactiviss in addressing the issues we care about. yes, say it again. [laughter] for making me look bad, brother. about the pragmatic solution because i know if you're like me, i get tired of coming to cbc and living and leaving with robust conversations and better parties than i do solutions. and if you leave having had a better time at night and you did the rest of the day, what's the point. so, thank you to those that put this panel together and those that are leading incredibly pragmatic panels all throughout the day. are we ready to introduce the panel? we are. fantastic. if we can, and they have robust and fantastically deep and wonderful bios and i recommend you go to google and read them in their entirety. please note they are doing incredible work. we have the president and ceo on civil and human rights. [applause] the national president of the 80 philip randolph institution. [applause] copresident of the women's march and founder consulted and executive director of the national action network. [applause] and we are bringing back two of the congressional leaders who greeted us at the top of the program, he is the cochair of of this year's annual legislative conference and also the cochair of the voting rights caucus, please welcome from texas 33rd district, congressman mark. and she's th she is the chair oe congressional caucus initiative represents texas 18th congressional district please welcome back congresswoman sheila jackson lee. [applause] and finally, we invite clarence the second of the noble national organization of black law enforcement organizations to join us on this panel these give a round of applause. [applause] we are family here. and i think at some point, we need to be aggressive in defending our families and children and representing who we are in this conversation, congresswoman sheila jackson l lee, talking just for a second about what you think is the most important legislative priority that we have. we are here as a part of the black caucus legislative to figure out how we can support it and what we can do in the local agenda to push our local officials whether they are members or not. what is the single most important current legislative issue that if w you walk out of here everyone needs to have on their heart and mind? >> good afternoon or good morning again i guess we are still in the morning. let me do one thing, and that is to acknowledge doctor allison. doctor allison has been to all 47. give her a hand, please. [applause] there she is. all 47. >> let me quickly say this. amen. i believe in the movement, and my colleagues will have many different things that they are engaged in, but i think the criminal justice reform under this umbrella of systematic dismantling of civil rights is one of the major elements. the fact that as a western civilization in the united states we incarcerate more people than ever. i am not diminishing economic development. i am not diminishing the environment and health care. nor am i diminishing civil rights and voting rights. but if we do not get a handle on stopping the waves of the incarceration of young men and women building the members not in the federal system but the state system for every infraction starting with the incarceration of juveniles, if at one point we do not begin to dismantle banditry minimums, i believe in law and order, but if you have a sentence of 25 years and your life is just gone because your jurisdiction believes that it's important to incarcerate, where is the redemption. i indicated i was out a hearing this morning and we were meeting and fellowship in with african-american men mostly whose lives have been scared off of the appropriate pathway because of many elements, but some in the criminal justice system. so i would like to see the mandatory minimum prison reform, juvenile justice reform stop incarcerating our children, and i would like us to jump forward over the idea of incarceration and the idea of redemption, job creation, putting them in businesses and turning the corner on what justice is all about so i would hope that we can do reignite the advocacy for criminal justice reform. >> this dovetails directly into a lot of the work you've done in your career as an activist. then the congresswoman makes a great point that the interesting piece as we've never disconnected from that work. the challenge has been we have it connected local to local to create in some cases the kind of national momentum that is necessary. one, can you talk about some of the best practices that you've seen in different parts of the country dealing with different issues the congresswoman brought up and number two, the recommendations you give and some of the mobilizations are plannethatare planned in the coe next year to challenge this department of justice but also to challenge some of the local and state policies that affect what the congresswoman was mentioning. i appreciate you always pushing us on the solution and i can pretty much bring all of those questions into one because the local game is where we are finding the most impact is being made and i can give you examples of new york. we thought the campaign recently where new york and north carolina were the only two states to continue to prosecute 16 and 17-year-olds as adults for the age of criminal responsibility were 16 and 17 we know that the story has been one that many of us had seen and have been impacted by what happens to this young man who supposedly stole a book bag, send two years, over a year in solitary confinement and he couldn't deal with trying to reenter society and committed suicide and tha his mother diedt long after. what we did in terms of raising the age and why it's not perfect and the legislation at this point that what we foun but what making sure that the advocates and elected officials, the clergy network and all the different grassroots operations work together. what i'm finding and what i think is very problematic for this movement is at times we feel like we don't need one another and don't have to come to the table. it can be where people are organized in the streets. it's impossible because we are not losing the grounding on a policy level and it doesn't properly manifested itself into the real action reform we can count on to list the shackles so with this campaign i know a member from new york has been around a conference and we worked with him and the state senators and city council members and we have a major grassroots effort and then we go to law enforcement to the table because all law enforcement isn't a day. there are some people that want to give you the tools necessary to have those conversations had with all of those components, we were able to put the governor in a position where he had to get something done. if he was able to find some peace it wouldn't have worked. we had to bring everybody to the table at the same time and i think another part that is important for many of the activists who are saying that the problem is we are working with some of the officials have been gatekeepers is that we had to expose them as well. if you do not support this we are going to go into your communities and other places where you intend to go back to and at the end of the day it is hard work but it has to be done to move the needle forward thank you for being comprehensive enough answer. >> specifically o >> specifically on the law enforcement piece i know you can speak broadly. she brings up an interesting point about the intersection points and collaborative work. they've been trained and don't know how important these are. are. whose ultimate responsibility is it to create the kind of synergy that she's talking about and are we seeing that have been in an effective way. it is a coalition that has existed for about 67 years so what we are seeing right now is the coalition and the solidarity building that has been condemning our coalition and that is what is happening all around the country not just a coalition that people were standing across communities and standing up saying we are going to push for the juvenile justice reform and protect our kids have separate our communities and demand accountability together for the officials to get this done. we are in an all out assault and talking about criminal justice reform, that is absolutely key. we've got an attorney general taking us back to the 1980s. but the amazing thing is the momentum on the local level and at the state level that is actively resisting vat across party lines and groups like racial justice groups pushing for reform because it is where we need to go. the system is inhumane and has devastated cities of color. right now at the leadership conference we have groups that are never caught that are pushing for rights and pushing to ensure women can protect their own bodies. they are all saying this commission the president has tht has tried to undermine the voting rights all over the country we are not going to stand for it because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us and that's why we need a bill. and i'm hopeful we are going to win this in solidarity right now to make those connections at the local level. how do we ensure sustainability because you know as well as i do that the enemy on the other side has the money and social justice isn't a short gain and so in some cases we end up being the kids on campus that the administration just waits out until people burn out or graduate because we don't have the sustainability. how do we begin to shift this. for the sustainability that you and your colleagues need so that you can push the legislative focus based on the public will. waived if you are still in the room. thank you for being here. they are part of the sustaining group. the congressional black caucus foundation board, can i thank you all for being here. sustainability is crucial. i love what you are going to year from the reshear from the e members on the panel. we now have a bill in washington because i want that bill passed. i want to make it very clear if we do not speak truth to power for others then who else will speak on the sustainability question it is a legislative piece. ipeace. it is a movement peace and money peace duly invested in sustaining the movement. i don't she managed to get quarter of a millionth of a half a million, we didn't have to worry about all of these on january 21. the congressional black caucus foundation knows how to write these issues up, galvanized the thought process so you have thinkers throughout the country and i agree that the voting rights is the umbrella that provides the lifeblood of making sure we are engaged on the school board level where they try to underpaid teachers to the highest level where they take your health care they. if we cannot stop incarcerating people and make that a bill wo work, then we would have an economy that is half beast for the sustainability that is viewing the legislative process as your process. we need more people showing up in washington and offices behind the congressional black caucus and we need you talking about voting rights to criminal justice, economic empowerment in education. for thatoward that work and thot answer where we are. i'm not bragging about who we are but here the most powerful lawmaking body in the world. legitimate money and not in the pockets that helps turn the issue in the legislative process and the advocacy of all which includes police officers which the chief is going to speak of goodwill. it's the ability to put forward a law enforcement and honesty and integrity reform to give you money to be counte doubted thate said decree, take the money and reform your self so that we can be the protector and service to the community to help dignifying ourselves. as the congresswoman talks about sustainability and the money, the legislative activism piece when you talk about the voting rights, so often i think that we have been as a community looking at the power of the voting rights act when it was never comprehensively all that we need. it was supposed to be a bridge to somewhere else. i still see people caught up in the reinstituting or constituting the act versus the broad multilevel voter protection policy that existed in the multiple levels. how do you see that and the opportunities for the faux in this room to engage in a specific thing at the national level in the targeted areas at the state level and even the protection issues at the local levels in ways we haven't brought together a comprehensive strategy. >> let me just tell you the biggest threat to the voting rights right now are occurring in the state legislatures and i think it is only fair that i started in my backyard of the state of texas where we used to be the state particularly for what would be considered a southern state we would have some of the most liberal and easiest way is to vote out of any in the entire union to be honest with you over the last ten years the state of texas systematically starts to dismantle the voting rights beginning with the voter id law. i was still in the state legislature when texas passed a law that we are under right now and i became the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the voter id law overturned. you couldn' could use any stated ids didn't buy texas a an by tem university that you could use your concealed handgun license and so that was one of the first steps that they took. and even the states own data so they would be most likely to have the ip and have difficulty obtaining those. >> what becomes the way to fight? people always forget if we got excited to vote in 2008 and 2012 but in 2010, the drop-off is so steep, and what ends up happening is you have these people that are elected to the governor's mansion that are not on the same ticket in the presidential year and they are the ones that are setting policy for the voter id and for the redistricting. they are the ones that are setting the policy for all of the things we are here talking about that affect each and every one of us when it comes to voting so we have to figure out some sort of way to get people engaged and so i'm sharing the news about all these things happening and i could go on and on about this. not just that the states that can require you to have a passport or certificates to register to vote. >> without saying who they are or having any sort of in ie, at thithis present fight i know tht there's multiple, and if there is that's fine but if you can list off a coup or some of the organizations we need to be supporting both with bodies and dollars turning the needle and whether it is from the money to file lawsuits or whether it's the mobilization were the folks that we need to be looking to? >> the naacp has done a tremendous job in the courts and the legal system that they are very engaged and active working with state legislators and members of congress so they would be my first choice for individuals nationally. they are leading the way into leading the charge. >> and there is organizations of young people as well. before we go to the questions from the audience, if it is through other legacy organizations, you've been doing this work for a long time and i mean it's been a sense of honor but we are recognizing that the work is required and default methods of engagement. how do we most effectively utilize the legacy organizations to not do new work that evolve the work so that organizations are relevant for the new kind of funding and excited people in a way that years ago we were not thinking in mobilization. >> thank you for that question and those on the panel for what you do. speaking first to responsibility is one that i want to address if you don't mind. earlier, the discussion talked about how do we help the congressional black caucus members and i feel we are doing what we can to support the work they are doing because we hit the ground in the traditional organizations and community but if we don't get resources to the members of the congressional black caucus to sustain what they are doing, we are going to miss the whole ball. they vote the way we need them to do, they show up when we need them to show up, they speak to the issue without fear yet when the money is being distributed by organizations that have resource dollars, we pinch and share very little. we can't take each other for granted and certainly we cannot take this body for granted so for all of you that hav have dos this is an unsolicited commercial if you are giving money to somebody, start with the congressional black caucus members out there every day trying to keep this fight going into sustaining the things we do at home in our communities and churches and everywhere. for the other part of, and what of our seniors and seem to be this decent people are afraid to watch young people grow if we are going to be completely transparent about what leadership is. i know you've been doing it for a while. i'm going to be 70. you've got to be prepared to get out of the way so that some of these young people that have the energy to do what he's been teaching them or nothing happens except you get to tell old stories and nothing new will happen. so there has been a conscious effort to develop young people's minds and actions. the fight isn't garnered by folk that are looking. some of the folks are blasting out but it's really pushed by young folks that know how to put in data and information to track attracts the folks we need to get the job done. inside some of the legacy organizations like the one i have the privilege to work for, the a. philip randolph institu institute, that started this stuff along with some of the elders. we are not teaching the old way to register, we are teaching folks to understand the stopgaps that are being placed. >> and i think the unions have been progressive more than some of the other legacy organizations. one i think because of the amount of money they received versus some others but number two because the membership as a result of who was there had organically evil versus the others that had to recruit in different ways so thank you for mentioning that. i want to make sure we don't take this piece off the table. i think that she made an interesting point. we spoke to people internally and so there are people fighting for young people and others hating on young people. my question for you because we always talk about there's good cops, too that it' but it's an interesting statement in itself while i'm interested in is what defines a good cop when they are quiet. [applause] so how we create a level of support and pressure for those quote on quote good cops to challenge and attac attack polie unions, which in my opinion are the greatest barriers to police reform and to speak up as a noble voice of the profession when the voice we keep seeing is one of brutality and abuse. >> that's a great question. i think what you have seen recently, i know that the black community is saddened by these events just as much as the citizenry and we are part of the communities of the police in many cases. the barber shops, churches and all the things everybody else does. for us, we have been oppressed inside of the departments just as much as we have outside like the citizens. i had a conversation this morning with some of our folks. founded in 1976 there was a brush among the leaders in the country to put black males in the leadership positions so they could later say we tried it and it didn't work. >> i know that history and i know you show up on the case is othecasesother people don't butt think the general public understands how we support officers that want to come out and be courageous and go against some of the sculpture. how practically do we support those officers and again what should we expect to? >> first we are human just like the citizens and often times that is something that nobody remembers. it hurts us to see our black folks killed just like it hurts anyone else, but sometimes we are put in a position where we've got to choose. i was interested in what the congressman lewis said. there's a difference between disruptive and destructive. when you are destructive than we have to go back to that oath that we swore to uphold the law across-the-board so rather than destroy a community and go back to the same people that have oppressed us for the money to rebuild th the communities let's talk to the folks inside who can probably give you a better insight on how better to accomplish what you are doing. .. >> >> but to say beyond acknowledging the humanities what kind of support do they have to give to voice what is wrong in the department at the detriment of them putting things on the line?. >> we have to make sure the right folks are in their that they're able to do the right thing. we have now seen through a technology it is back alive and well. >> with the justice department in the last administration then when you talk about with the obama administration because they did not receive asset forfeiture dollars. now that has been removed under their current administration. >> agreed. because of that culture that doesn't agree with the way to do things that is more of a directive but i want to provide the congressman with closing remarks because i know you have to go. and opened the floor to the audience. >> i will try to cut a deal with the foundation i will invite you to washington on this criminal justice reform let them bring all the people in the room. you are only as good as your next success story. that is along the pathway of the justice. will we allow that? i cannot hear you. we'll be standby or stand up? i cannot hear you. standby or stand up? if that is our challenge it will be my challenge thanks for being here we are in washington that i will see you with all of those elements of juvenile all of justice reform. >> absolutely congresswoman we have ben working together for so long but people think is new but she has been there all along. so to have that narrative because sandra black and would die when obama was an office and by the way there was no justice for any of those people so talk about things being better at that time that is to use say that somehow things will change. it cannot continue to exist but with that n.y.p.d. blue came together against the city of new york and the state department and the justice league organization supporting them. and then for that police department more than any other ramification. so led we say what can a community do? talking about we have to do more. if we do not insure we are standing by to the churches to uphold this woman to take care of her family. i have to be quiet but this is important. i know the book. she gave me the look. [laughter] but she is the one who could potentially break this crisis we have. if we do not support the grass-roots organization we need our people to come to the table to show that the council meetings and make sure we are not just voting for that person and what they are standing up for. we have to have a louder voice. >> it doesn't just speak to that issue but how we protect people in our community that step up and show up? somebody who doesn't ask for money but is a millionaire. and then that other remark. and in maryland. right now is a main target. if there is a time for those communities those that are in a position that this is a time. remember her name. marilyn. so do that. >> i don't know why you were in the room. ask your question and quickly won -- member of the panel answer. >> with a director of educational services for those in the trenches dealing with apathy what are some of those messages you have found to be powerful? and then to resonate with those communities. >> if you could give one line?. >> we have to step up and fight them push for what is right. >> ask a simple question if you have someone in your family and taken into the system unjustly we have to care about those issues so it ties back together and that they attack all communities. >> so the state of texas in municipal-bond elections with less than 10% of those individuals that vote in those presidential years to elect the city council. >> don't let your actions accidentally changed the narrative. it is about the right. >> and then how we advocate and legislate within the constitution. and with that economic injustice. >> we need to get rid of money cash bail as the senators to cable together we need to get that bill passed and what is amazing rainout all over the country they are eliminating cash bail taking out that money profit motive. new jersey has done amazing work and those incarceration rates to make sure we don't increase racial disparity that this is critically important we criminalize race and bail reform is one thing that is alive and well with a time of local movement and momentum on this issue. >> mac your economics major what about advocating for a change in my community?. >> since you said you were more than states so we can talk after this to figure that out. >> so teetoo sued the insurance company we got more results from our own city council members so just to the people when you sue the insurance companies and then to get more results. >> i appreciate that pragmatic representation. [laughter] >> i am from the diversity of michigan so what device would you give the of black community? with they were defacing property? so our administration they swipe that under an do not address those issues. >> as a former do nothing president i know that the university of michigan but ann arbor like most institutions will sweep under the rug what they can. and how you build those people of color and especially with an arbor there are those alums out one to transition and those that are actively involved on campus. that is a tremendous power and corporate leaders in in an arbor how do you identify that continues to put pressure with your activism as the of backdoor until? as they press -- press from the either side. is that this is not where they want to come. that threatens the lifeblood of the institution. with this bastion of liberalism challenging from the historical standpoint. with the ebb and flow using data and metric strategy to ensure that that are incredibly specific they will tell you. does the audience your question?. >> and doing a street ministry we find that civil-rights is irrelevant so how do you get someone to exercise their rights to be a human being as of permission to be sublet -- civilized?. >> this is the best way. >> 8q so much want to get these last questions. >> and 16 years old so well in you talk about protesting as a miner who cannot vote that is largely protesting pro if you are marching in history. so that it is the right way to be involved in the community with civic engagement?. >> last question. >> i am from washington d.c. how do i have a conversation with you because to be well connected with the clergy and i have two sides of that movement with that sex exploitation, what i want to say to the panel is i was raised by a single father. i have seen it all i saw somebody shot in the head at 10 years old in front of my face but what i do know nobody can help us but us and that was not a question so i will let him give a question. >> first i am a student in kentucky during work with the naacp. with infrastructure is that need with that cato institute or heritage foundation in is that what we move for infrastructure how do we go about that? or do we need to support those organizations with those legislative pieces?. >> i think we can all say it is both and and then we have somebody who was to meet with the speaker which is fine but just to address the question and the young lady mentioned about resilience in the midst of the movement not allowing anybody to define for you. i appreciate the of question god bless you. >> i invite you to visit with some things to expect and what we should expect from you as protesters that is in conjunction with the civil rights obviously they have a right to protest and a thing has to do those things you should visit the history that is what i am looking for and that is what i would recommend to my kids keep that non-violence down to change the narrative. we go with those issues and the fact we have to borrow money and that is the injustice to our community. >> the young lady from university of michigan and i am not sure why we continue to make the schools millions and millions of dollars those s.a.t. scores are tied directly to espn so the second thing i would say with that first amendment it was of popular or the local police don't like it we need to organize and you'll be the next wave of leaders out there. and with that election turned out results and you can have an impact on that. played great value are recording but you should continue to do that. and it was a peaceful protest if you can show it on youtube and show that it was peaceful you are following the law continuing to exercise your right to assembly then we need you out there. >> i'd think most of their protest 99.99% were peaceful . i don't think you should allow people to define that narrative. because that reality is that militarized police officers people don't just walk outside. that isn't real. there is no justice in our community is going up against a machine to create tension that spills over into what you see. if you are organizing we talk about the principles which said we're not going not to attack people but the system of low pressure because the truth is with those gatherings of other communities how one brick being thrown that is to distract you. so they want to use this nonstop to focus on the real issues. and then, against people and those that are pushing against to. and we have no choice because our lives depend on it but you just have to keep going. >> very quickly i'd like to address those in the room. in as an advocate in to know they've been to -- have been supportive. and then get that support and to know those mechanisms for girl clinton know the names of those reporters. and then to call them out. and then to show up to be supportive. >> one of the things is the importance of showing up right now. so the answer lies with us. there are a lot of problems right now but we have to be able to have that same anti-immigrant agenda to destroy the lives of 800,000 young people that is directly tied to that industrial complex of our communities. and those voting rights issues that are deeply connected and this administration gets that. and then without voter suppression advancing that agenda and to organize to bid that civil rights advocate with ed inclusive and fair country that isn't the inevitable. >> thank you so much to the panel nobody address the last brothers question about infrastructure that movement needs to be sustained into a model other people's institutions but the question is to those issues that we care about to do that. if it is research and data than we need that. if it is sustained began an end engagement. with this same media a engagement. i am confused why we have some the brilliant legislators that arco what they're more policies and fighting that at the legislative level. so those who are interested can be trained to understand. how do they run from those positions if they cannot manage anything? anyway. talent scouts and talent support and innovation in. and they are sustainable with infrastructure. we need all of them. and with those institutions so every institution they have is designed to insure and then we get mad when they don't get it. and then to be sure we have more power than we do. i appreciate those who had to leave and the panel with the recommendation and even a healthy debate but we only get to that place so have a great conference make sure you leave it so give the panel one more round of applause. 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