CBC MEMBERS, CELEBRITIES TO HEADLINE POWERFUL ALC 2007
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation releases details of annual four-day
conference aimed at enabling legislators and the public to focus on “Unleashing Our Power”

WASHINGTON – Quincy Jones, Louis Gossett Jr., Gabrielle Union, Mya, Master P., Victoria Rowell and Byron Cage will join the members of the Congressional Black Caucus as headliners at the 37th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC), Sept. 26-29 at the Washington Convention Center.

Marian Wright Edelman, Michael Eric Dyson, George C. Fraser and Russell Simmons are among other notables expected at the four-day conference featuring dozens of policy forums, general sessions, exhibits, a job fair, book signings and networking opportunities. Twenty-thousand people focusing on issues impacting African Americans and the African diaspora attend ALC each year.

This year’s ALC theme is “Unleashing Our Power.” The theme challenges legislators and citizens to use their collective power to level the playing field for African Americans, and recognizes the historic number of CBC members leading congressional committees.

To start ALC ’07 off right, the House Majority Whip, Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, will join the four major committee leaders – Reps. Charles Rangel of New York (Ways and Means), John Conyers of Michigan (Judiciary), Bennie Thompson of Mississippi (Homeland Security) and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones of Ohio (Standards of Official Conduct) – for a Welcome Ceremony discussion about leveraging power on Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Edelman, president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, will join other experts for a National Town Hall Meeting titled, “Disrupting the Prison Pipeline,” on Thursday, Sept. 27.

“We are planning an ALC filled with dynamic social and policy content that will leave our conference audience well-informed and motivated to make a difference,” said Elsie L. Scott, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which produces the conference.

Attendees are urged to register for ALC by visiting the Foundation’s Web site, www.cbcfinc.org. The public also may attend the policy sessions at a cost of $5 per person, per day, or $15 per person for the conference. ALC raises funds for the Foundation’s research, scholarship, fellowship and internship programs as well as its economic development and public health initiatives.

A new addition to the conference will be the Networking Luncheon on Sept. 27. Meant for seasoned professionals, the event will allow attendees with similar interests and backgrounds to interact in a semi-informal setting. The luncheon is open to the first 800 people who pay full registration and sign up to attend. CBCF will post a directory of the participants on its Web site after ALC.

“Attendees will get to share a lunch table with persons in their fields – or with those in other fields, if so desired – to exchange ideas and contact information that will be mutually beneficial,” Dr. Scott said. “George C. Fraser, with his proven experience in effective networking, will share tips and time will be set aside after the speech for the attendees to put those tips into action right away.”

The CBCF Emerging Leaders series is poised to offer multiple sessions connecting the nation’s powerbrokers with emerging professionals to discuss strategies for personal and community development. On Sept. 27, Victoria Rowell, the award-winning actress, dancer and author, will host the Instant Apprentice Luncheon, during which participants will sit with executives and leaders in business, government, education, sports and non-profit organizations. Recording artist/entrepreneur Percy Miller (aka Master P.) and Michael Eric Dyson are confirmed for panels on Friday, Sept. 28.

With its Future Focus Series, the Foundation’s Center for Policy Analysis and Research (CPAR) will feature members of Congress, academics, policy practitioners and experts who will cover topics of education, affordable housing, economic development and public health on Sept. 26. A discussion on mental health issues facing African Americans will highlight the CPAR luncheon.

CBC members will lead their own forums on education, health care, the environment, economic development, criminal justice, housing, transportation and international affairs. Braintrusts, extended panel discussions resulting in legislative action plans, are also planned.

The CBC Spouses will honor Quincy Jones, the legendary entertainer, and others during a Celebration of Leadership for the Visual and Performing Arts at the National Museum of Women in the Arts on Sept. 26. That same day, the Spouses and CBC members will join together to provide food, clothing and health services to families at a homeless shelter, So Others Might Eat (SOME).

Rep. Conyers will present a Jazz Issue Forum and Concert, also on Sept. 27, in which renowned musicians showcase their talents after focusing on the roots and importance of preserving the music. Others seeking spiritual uplift may attend the Gospel Extravaganza that same evening, and the Annual Prayer Breakfast, featuring gospel sensation Byron Cage, on Saturday, Sept. 29.

Later that evening, Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. and actress Gabrielle Union will co-host the Annual Awards Dinner, where thousands will join the CBC and Foundation in honoring the contributions of outstanding individuals for their contributions to the community and the nation.

Be sure not to miss the Black Party. It’s always one of D.C.’s hottest tickets. This year, the event at Love nightclub on Sept. 27 will feature Mya, the Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist.

Del. Donna M. Christensen of the U.S. Virgin Islands and Rep. G. K. Butterfield of North Carolina are this year’s ALC co-chairpersons. Both serve on the CBCF board of directors and have been instrumental in the Foundation’s economic development programs. “My colleague, Mr. Butterfield, and I want this conference to bring generations of leaders together to reflect on conditions in our communities, share ideas and solutions and enliven our desire for change,” Del. Christensen said.

Rep. Butterfield said: “African Americans must address the countless disparities that affect our quality of life. Coming out of ALC, we must harness our power and renew our commitment toward strengthening our families and communities.”