Black leaders from across the country came together on Tuesday to attend a town hall discussion about policy agendas they wish to see implemented by elected officials.
The Young Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition (YBLOC) hosted this town hall titled Vision Forward: building a four-year policy agenda to empower young Black Americans.
Representatives from multiple organizations spoke about the future of Black leadership and participation in the political sphere.
YBLOC’s partner organizations, including Black Youth Vote, Court Accountability, HBCU Green Fund, and Howard’s Future Law Scholars (FLS), spoke during the press conference.
The main discussion topics were empowering Black voices, increasing civic and political engagement, creating voter registration initiatives and fostering a new generation of young Black leaders.
The event outcomes focused primarily on impact over symbolism, finding policy solutions and advocating for politicians to implement them.
Abdul Dosunmu, YBLOC’s director and founder revealed at the press conference the organization’s plan to release a report titled “The State of Black Democracy.” It is a project that has been in the works for months.
Dosunmu explained the project’s objective of asking Black voters about their views on electoral politics.
YBLOC’s theory of change was focused on having conversations with Black voters, instead of just having conversations about Black voters.
“The guiding principle here is that there is often a lot of conversation about Black voters, but not a lot of conversation with Black voters,” Dosunmu said
He added that being receptive to what Black voters have to say about electoral politics benefits the state of American democracy.
“In order for us to truly have a democracy in which Black voters are seen and heard we have to be intentional about talking to Black voters and not talking about Black voters, listening to Black voters and not just lecturing Black voters,” Dosunmu said.
YBLOC’s priority states for this election cycle are Michigan, Georgia, Texas and North Carolina.
The organization has held town halls, focus groups and interviews with people in these priority states to increase youth civic and political engagement.
Court Accountability, a partner organization to YBLOC, also attended the press conference.
Court accountability is a non-profit that works to expose corruption within the courts, and advocate for court reform.
Some of their initiatives include implementing term limits for elected officials, and jurisdiction stripping to prevent courts from rolling back pro-democracy litigation.
Morgan Johnson served as the director of programs and partnerships for Court Accountability.
She detailed the importance of movement capacity, and how their work with YBLOC represents similarities in their visions for American democracy.
“Both of us believe how important it is to protect our democracy, and particularly, making sure that our courts are reflecting a multiracial, pluralistic democracy and the will of the people,” she said.
Johnson also addressed that both organizations value educating the public about what’s going on within the courts and bringing attention to the injustices taking place within the system.
“We will probably continue providing resources and materials on how the court is interacting with different issues that voters care about—that Americans care about—and making sure that we are exposing any corruption, exposing anything that’s happening around our elections that are making it difficult for people to vote,” said Johnson.
Illai Kenney, managing director of HBCU Green Fund and Howard alumna, also spoke at the press conference and provided further insight about the organization’s initiatives.
Kenney characterized sustainability as an intersectional concept that connects various social issues.
“For me, my look at sustainability has always been from a lens of understanding that the goal is to have a holistically healthy life,” she said.
Kenney emphasized the importance of sustainability as an intersectional concept that connects various social issues.
“No matter what the issue is, it’s a sustainability issue. I don’t care if it’s racism, I don’t care if it’s sexism, I don’t care what the issue is,” she said. “Ultimately, the reason it is a sustainability issue is because, with that problem present, someone doesn’t have a healthy life.”
Rebbie Davis, a senior at Howard and vice chair of the board of directors for FLS, spoke about the goals of FLS aligned with YBLOC.
“Future law scholars align seamlessly with Young Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition in that we both are dedicated to helping guide aspiring Black lawyers to become more than just practitioners of law but upholders of justice,” Davis said. “Both our organizations encourage aspiring lawyers to combat every threat to democracy even when it appears outside of the classroom.”
She added that FLS plans to continue political momentum with Black youth outside of electoral politics, emphasizing the importance of local and state elections.
“Major decisions are made on the local and state levels and it is our duty as future upholders of justice to be not only actively involved but well-informed and persistent advocates for change,” Davis said.
At the event’s close, Dosunmu announced YBLOC’s plans to hold a follow-up conversation with the attendees of the town hall. YBLOC is also building a pre-law program to foster leadership qualities in undergraduate students.
YBLOC also plans to put together a policy agenda to present to Congress.
Copy edited by Camiryn Stepteau
Corrections: A previous version of this article referred to the subject organization as ‘Youth Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition.’ The correct name of this organization is ‘Young Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition,’ and is reflected in this newer article version.
