By: Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
After the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the notable rise in African American representation in the House of Representatives exposed the need for a formal organization for Black Americans in the legislature. Recognizing that a black caucus would enhance their visibility and political influence on issues affecting the African-American community, members sought to create a unified voice.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has its roots in the civil rights triumphs of the 1960s. Since then, the CBC has been instrumental in addressing obstacles faced by minorities and other underrepresented groups at the polls. Members have proposed numerous bills to safeguard voting rights enshrined in the 14th and 15th Amendments, targeting barriers to federal election participation and improper registration practices.
Another key achievement of the CBC was establishing a national holiday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The caucus spearheaded this initiative by engaging in demonstrations and supporting legislation to create the King Holiday. Additionally, the CBC played a crucial role in founding TransAfrica, an advocacy organization focused on foreign policy issues related to Africa and the Caribbean.
In the current Congress, the CBC has achieved a historic milestone with 60 members in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. This caucus represents over 120 million Americans, which is 25.3 percent of the total U.S. population. It includes more than 20 million African Americans, or 41 percent of the African-American population. Additionally, the CBC accounts for nearly a quarter of the House Democratic Caucus.
While the CBC has traditionally been composed predominantly of Democratic members, its founders intended for it to be a non-partisan group, and there have been numerous instances of bipartisan cooperation with Republicans.
In 1979, Melvin H. Evans, a non-voting delegate from the Virgin Islands, became the first Republican member of the CBC. Gary Franks joined as the first Republican voting congressman in 1991, although he often faced exclusion from CBC strategy sessions, missed meetings, and considered leaving the caucus. No Republicans were part of the CBC for fourteen years until Allen West joined in 2011. However, Tim Scott, another freshman congressman, chose not to join. Following West’s defeat in the 2012 elections, the CBC reverted to being exclusively Democratic in 2013.
In 2014, two Black Republicans were elected to the House of Representatives. Will Hurd from Texas chose not to join the CBC, while Mia Love from Utah, the first Black Republican congresswoman, initially opposed the caucus, criticizing it in 2012 as fostering racism. However, she later changed her stance and became a member in 2015 before losing her reelection bid in 2018.
Among the 12 Black Republicans elected between the CBC’s founding in 1971 and 2020, only a few have ultimately joined the caucus. Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, who had voted against certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory, was blocked from membership in 2021.
This situation highlights a challenge faced by the Tri-Caucus—comprising the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus—when members from the opposing party seek affiliation. For instance, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s bylaws explicitly exclude non-Democrats. A notable controversy occurred in 2017 when the caucus refused to admit former Representative Carlos Curbelo of Florida, and these rules remain unchanged.
In 2006, Steve Cohen, a white candidate running in a predominantly Black Tennessee district, pledged to seek membership in the CBC to better represent his constituents. However, his application was rejected after his election. While the CBC’s bylaws do not explicitly require race for membership, both former and current members have maintained that the caucus should remain “exclusively Black.”
During the 2020 elections, Afro-Puerto Rican Democratic candidate Ritchie Torres claimed he was barred from joining both the CBC and CHC, though this was disputed by then-CBC Chair Karen Bass. Torres eventually succeeded in joining both caucuses after being elected to Congress.
Current members of the CBC out of North Carolina include Don Davis, representing the 1st District in Snow Hill; Valerie Foushee, from the 4th District in Chapel Hill; and Alma Adams, serving the 12th District in Charlotte. Among the most notable former members are Barack Obama, Kamala Harris, and John Lewis.
