Congressional Black Caucus

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is an organization of African American members of the United States Congress that was formally established on February 2, 1971. It exists to advance the legislative interests of Black Americans and other underserved communities through the power of elected representation in the federal government. The CBC's motto — 'No permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests' — reflects its philosophy of strategic, principled advocacy focused on the needs of the communities its members serve rather than on partisan loyalty alone. From its founding with 13 members, the CBC has grown to include more than 55 members in recent Congresses, representing tens of millions of constituents across the United States. The CBC has been a persistent voice in Congress on issues including civil rights enforcement, healthcare access, economic opportunity, education, housing, and criminal justice reform. Among its most significant legislative victories was leading the successful override of President Reagan's veto of the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 — one of the most consequential foreign policy votes in CBC history. Among its founding members was Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, who also became the first Black candidate to seek a major party's presidential nomination when she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972. Other founding members included Charles Rangel, John Conyers, Louis Stokes, and Charles Diggs, who served as the CBC's first chairperson. The CBC was born from frustration: its founding members had requested a meeting with President Richard Nixon to discuss issues facing their constituents, and he refused. Rather than accept being ignored, they organized. The CBC has operated across more than five decades, working through administrations of both parties and serving as an enduring institution of African American political representation at the highest level of American government.