>> today, the senate is expected to receive articles of impeachment against homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas . in the first step towards an impeachment trial, the secretary is accused of failing to comply with the law and breach of public trust for his handling of the southern border. we will have live coverage as in the afternoon on c-span 2. you can also watch on the free c-span app or online at c- span.org . >> c-span has completed from the halls of congress.

congressional hearings, party briefings, and committee hearings. c-span gives you a firm row seat of how issues are debated and decided with no commentary, no interruptions, and completely unfiltered. c-span. your unfiltered view of government. >> the national urban league held a discussion on participation and mobilizing the black community to vote in the upcoming elections. took place in washington, d.c. and is about 90 minutes. >> i appreciate it, thank you. thank you very much. good morning. good morning. i'm going to take a quick seat, is that okay?

yes. i am still working through trying to compete in the contest. next year. i will be off ir. first of all, thank you very much for joining us this morning. let's think. my longtime partner and colleague in working at the city of new orleans, u.s. conference and now at the urban league is now an ordained elder. she always called her evangelist. let's give it up for rhonda speers bell. >> a warm welcome to. courtney, i really appreciated

you making the connection between many of those early executives. in the national urban league which not only reaffirms our partnership but it reaffirms the role that played in opening doors to corporate america a long time ago. before it was called diversity, equity, and inclusion. i will get to that a little later. secondly, i want to welcome. raise your hands. give a wave, give a wave. those in the audience and those who are watching, this is the heart and the soul of our work. men and women, highly talented, highly committed on the ground. 92 committees across the nation collectively. they are touching 2 million people year with direct

services. give it up for our affiliate leaders. they are supported by a number of volunteer groups. each affiliate has its own board. any board members in the room, please raise your hand. we want to acknowledge you, we want to thank you. your work as volunteers. and then there is the historic national urban league. all the way back in 1942, a woman of passion and style by the name of molly moon had a vision. in those days, even though we had women executives in the 20s, women were not afforded a full role in the executive work. molly moon said we will serve

as volunteers. she built the guild. raise your hand. i know several of you are here. our president, thank you all very much. and then guess what? it is the 25th anniversary of the national urban league young professionals. 25 years. 25 years young as young professionals. we want to salute. you've got to stand up. we are saluting all of our young professionals. we are going to have a deep dive celebration in the annual conference. we appreciate what they brought. multiples of thousands of volunteer work, advocacy, participation. the young professionals that made a huge difference in the

urban league movement. i want to thank you. we are just starting. were going to continue to grow. with us this morning, here in the building and maybe some in the room, we have a number of students a part of our program. any of the students here or are they otherwise engaged in another -- we have one or two students here. let me make sure i get the schools we have many from the dmv who are with us today. >> deleware state, morgan state, give it up for those great universities which are making a difference in the lives of our people. i want to salute them and thank them. i will be spending time a little bit later this morning. it is an honor.

always an honor to be able to present the state of black america. it is always important for people to know what emanated. where does notion of a report come from it was 1976. we anticipate in a few days the president will give the state of the union address. very important time when we hear from the president of the united states on his blueprint vision and execution for the nation. in 1976, when the great legend vernon jordan held this position in a person on his shoulders i stand, sat down and watched president ford deliver the 1976 state of the union

address. he listened intently and carefully to president ford. president ford's address for the most part, painted a picture of america where there were no black people. a picture of america where there were no poor people. a picture of america that for the most part, ignored the trials and travails of locked out in left out communities. no mention of poverty, no mention of civil rights, no mention of cities. no mention of urban america. no mention of the raging recession that was taking place in the middle 1970s. president ford painted. when things are incomplete, they are false.

picture of the nation. vernon jordan, in his imitable way, sat down and said i am going to prepare my own blank report. there's always a choice adjective. he pulled together a group of scholars. african-american scholars went what was a report with analysis, diagnosis, and recommendations on the future of the nation. that was the beginning of the state of black america. today, it is an honor to be able to, almost 50 years later,

be able to present to you our thinking on what is the state of black america. succinctly put, the state of black america is not on our watch. not on our watch will we allow the progress and the gains. the very essence of the work that has been done by many generations of americans. many generations of civil rights leaders and black americans be eroded by a pernicious, delicious, negative, hateful effort which is designed to erase the last 70 years in american history. >> stay with me. the state of black america is strong because we are strong. the state of black america is

proud because we are proud. the state of black america is resilient because we can take bumps and bruises and slips

>> understanding that this represents the 60th anniversary since the passage of the civil rights act of 1964. it is important for us to understand that when we talk about all of these issues, we are standing on this foundation of an american magna carta. an american magna carta that was passed in 1964 after a long fight and a long struggle. went all the way back to the

civil war. after the civil war when the nation amended its constitution and created a 14th amendment, they added a section in there that said congress shall enforce this amendment by appropriate legislation. this was in the late 1860s. what happened along that journey is instructive to today. the first civil rights act was passed, the civil rights act of 1866 was twice vetoed by president johnson. it became law because the congress overrode his veto. the second civil rights act that was passed was in 1875. that act interestingly looks a lot like the 1964 act. we've got to teach a little bit

this morning. that 1875 civil rights act in 1883 was substantially struck down by the united states supreme court. the united states supreme court's character, meaning who sat on the court, changed as a result of the 1876 election. here was the supreme court. less than 20 years after the civil war, declaring eight piece of legislation designed to enforce the constitution. from that point forward, 1883, this very same court in another

judicial coup in 1896 declared separate but equal. the law of the land and banished black people to a second-class status for some 70 years. i am connecting dots because as things go, things repeat themselves. we need to understand that while those who are battling our progress, they are following a historic road map as well. we must understand that historic road map. from 1896, all the way until 1964, the civil rights leaders, advocates of the early 20th

century began to think, imagine, and work on how they could pass a new civil rights law. this decision gave rise to the creation in 1909 of an acp. gave rise to the creation. in 1910, many other organizations that evolve thereafter. i want to bring us to 1964. 1964 in the passage of the civil rights act did not happen because there was a fit of enlightenment by the members of the united states congress.

>> it happen because there was a movement. beginning with the courageous woman refused to give up her seat in montgomery, alabama. that movement was supported by an aggressive strategy in the courts that marshall and others to try to knock down these walls. it was litigation and activism. our predecessors in the big six stood in 1963 with 250,000 americans. they had a demand. we want to act and we want it

now. we come forward. i have been asked on a number of news shows what has happened and has the civil rights act of 1964 worked. i look at the correspondence of women and african-americans and other people of color who brace the anchor desk at all of these media organizations and said you would not be here. not just the african-americans but the women and the latinos and asians and others. you would not be here but for the civil rights act of 1964.

sometimes when i call late. they will sometimes say nothing has changed. i say you are living in 1964. if we suggest that nothing has changed, we are disrespecting the work of many. it took a martin luther king, it took malcolm x, jack greenberg, the uaw supporting the march on washington. it took lyndon johnson who knew had a break a 17 year

filibuster. we do not know how many projects he promised. we don't know how many deals he cut. whatever he did, it worked. we are progenitors of that work. the second part of this state of black america is the equality of. each and every year for the past 20 years, we have said let's put the facts when it comes to the numbers of social and economic conditions out there. we could understand clearly what the comparative is. we are not having a discussion with our brilliant opinions only. we have brilliant opinions. we are also not having a

discussion with the ranked misinformation and lying that goes on when it comes to progress and lack there of in this nation. the third part of this report is a report on president biden. whether he has lived up to the promises he made in writing on paper as candidate biden. we wanted to look at it so that people could understand because several of you in here are elected. some of you are formally elected. what counts is that politics sometimes have. i make a promise, you buy into it. did i keep it? it is not about well i am changing my promises every day. i'm backing off three and coming up with new ones.

we had evaluated. in a world of great rhetoric, this world of great rhetoric, we need to always have a factual basis. with the national urban league speaks to do is provide a factual basis whether it's the equality index or the biden progress report, we put it out there for people to debate it. you could discuss it. you can challenge it if need be but we are just presenting the facts. those are the three components of the state of black american report. can we talk a little bit about the civil rights act of 64? let's talk a little bit about what the civil rights act of 64, which had seven provisions

in it. seven sections in it which sought to open the doors to employment and public accommodations that were revisions on voting and a provision that applied to anyone that took federal money. that act, let's look at some of the changes. top line changes. i have referenced these in american life. what is happening in corporate america? >> it is 64, and there was. we now have a african-american and 50+ women. i'm not going to suggest to you that we can be satisfied or should be satisfied with this number. it is important to the change in these dynamic women and

african-americans lead these companies are competent, qualified, standing, and behind them, their legions. don't get me wrong. the fact that we highlight this suggest satisfaction. that is not what it suggests. guess that this act have made a bit of a difference in this area. the look at the medical community. the congress of the states. this was enhanced by the 64 act. but look, five black. adam claibon of new york. along with bob mix of

philadelphia. charles diggs of detroit. those were the six african- americans who were a member of the congress of that time. now there are 60. that deserves an applause. i wanted to point this out because once again, has there been far progress and far more here than on the corporate side because this owes to political engagement. this owes to involvement and be on these, there are a large number of members of congress

are not black, not asian- american, not latino, not native american who african- american and latino voters are essential to the coalition. meaning they could not win if they put a coalition that included entities together. let's give that a big round of applause and i am always excited when we look at that. the civil rights act has many different but the current challenges that we face. i want to put this in this context. may of 2020, covid was two months old. we were all watching television and then the iphone video that the young woman in minneapolis

to was flashed across our screens. we saw george floyd. we saw a man die before our eyes. which one is working? let me talk loud. we saw that on the screens. spontaneously across the nation. spontaneously of a protest across. we got press calls from new zealand, hungary, the united

kingdom. there was a rise in the awakening and reckoning. i was a story. i know my time is tight but i got to tell you a personal story because it did happen. i got a letter. i think you need to look at this letter. so i opened this letter, it is a handwritten letter from someone i went to middle school with and i attended a middle school where i was the first african-american student to attend. at the time, there was only two in the whole school and i was only one in my class for four years. it was an apology letter. from someone who had been an

upperclassman for bullying, calling me names. i guess they call it micro- aggression. but he said in the letter that he was compelled to write the letter because of what happened george floyd and that it had forced him to "re-examine who he is and what he is about. no return address but i found him. i only make reference so we understand how powerful the moment was with people, corporations, foundations and government taking commitments.

strong commitments. fast forward to today. fast forward to today. not on our watch will we be silent. but we watch those who made commitments all of a sudden gain the courage of the lion in the wizard of oz and walk away. not on our watch will we be silent while people run for office, our wealthy people call competent black women who are presidents at major universities. you might as well say what you are really meant. you can say what you want but don't say that. this is the moment that we find

ourselves in. we find ourselves in the moment where over 1000 proposals since 2020. 1000 to suppress the vote. to make it harder for people to vote. targeted at black people, latinos, poor people, disabled americans. >> with a cover story, which is a lie that somehow the election system is riddled with fraud. we have to be clear that these arguments are also going to involve cover stories of

misrepresentation, prevarication, misstatement of facts, and mention of tax, distraction from the truth, and diminution of history. 1000 across the nation to banned books. toni morrison? come on. angela? come on. ralph ellison? get out of your here. to banned books as though the students are not going to go to barnes & noble's and pick them up. are they not going to go online and say boy, they want to ban them, i want to read them that much more. the absurdity of it all is that from 2020, there is all the pushback. while half the states have engaged in proposals to suppress the vote, i'm happy to

tell you that another half of the state. introduced mel voting. and things to make it easier. this is not simply that there is one side of the ledger. for every company that may be retreating on diversity, equity, inclusion, there may be three or four more saying i'm going to double down and i'm going to stand and remain committed. we have to understand and not get caught in the glass half empty mentality. we cannot fight a battle we don't have a mind-set we are strong.

in this index, very quickly, we index at about 76% of where what americans are. i encourage you to look at these. the index is an average. here's the thing, you see an improvement in the last two years. that improvement is the largest two-year movement we've seen. however, at this case, parities 180 years away. keep this in perspective we are like a caboose on the train. over the last 50 years, has high school graduation rating the community lawn gone up.

yes it has, give a hand, give a hand. >> the rate for white americans has improved too. that's not a bad thing but we remain behind. ditto for the college matriculation rate. for many areas, we have made progress but we have not made relative progress to the overall improvement in the country. that is the paradox of this index. i wanted to show you these five areas so that you can see when it comes to economics, we lag. when it comes to social justice, which includes the criminal justice system, we lag. these are areas that are stubborn and persistent and i would argue they are connected in many respects. what we need to do is understand these numbers and use this as a tool for conversations and policymaking.

thought leadership, we want students, scholars, journalists, business people, later labor leaders, politicians to know these numbers are going to. finally, joe biden. joe biden, when we as a civil rights community, when we got on the phone in 2020 to speak to him, and it's our practice to try to speak to anybody running -- we are not going to chase you. we send you a letter and you do not return it, that is on you. come on, now. let's just understand. we will talk to anybody, anywhere who wants to be

serious about our community. i am not talking about tennis shoes. i am talking about jobs. i'm talking about health. i'm talking about our children and education and life. very importantly, when we talk to joe biden as a candidate, you need to put a plan together. we want to see a set of specifically enumerated issues. he said that is a great idea, i will do it. i would like to see what he recommends. >> we also recommendations to the team and they produced a plan. did the plan have every detail that we wanted? our main ideas?

>> yes. we look at what the president has done as president and the truth of the matter is that he has fulfilled a large number of the stated commitments. two things i want everyone to know because there is a lot of misinformation fooling around. right now, if you look at 2020, both the overall unemployment rate in the black unemployment rate, you see significant declines. all the way down for 5.3% for black americans, 3.7% on an overall basis. that is important because we were in the trough in 2020 with millions and billions out of work and 40% of black this is having to close down. this is what we faced.

we also thought it was important. the the things that did not necessarily get done in the first three years. before saying that, let's celebrate. >> let me tell you. i've heard promises from politicians. i hear what i call the old crawfish movement. it's backing up. circumstances have changed. i have some of the pressures on me. i don't think i can follow the promise. can i make it up to you later? we did not see that when it came to the nomination of kamala harris. then he put a black woman on the supreme court.

not only did he nominate a black woman, he nominated an outstanding lawyer, legal scholar, who can hold her own and is not afraid to open her mouth or use her pen. these were important commitments. we put the general there is now head of the joint chief. we asked for a diverse cabinet and diverse staff and people that look like our community. the healthcare expansion is notable. if you look at the index, the health care disparities have narrowed a bit . that does not mean the healthcare system is perfect. i have been in it. don't get me started. i'm not talking about any insurance companies but i love my doctor.

it's important to look at this and other areas of improvement, but then he said there is an unfinished agenda. there are things that we know did not get done. i want to list a few of them here. i want to highlight four. voting rights. the freedom to vote. the john lewis voting rights did not get done. this is essential. what happened? let me tell you what really happened. you want to know what really happened? we were in the trenches on this . i think it was right before you joined the coalition, but we have been working with the executive branch and members of congress on the john lewis voting rights advancement act. we had gotten through the house and then all of a sudden we are in the senate.

we had 48 commitments. we had 48 hard commitments. all we needed was for two members of the united states senate to agree to create an exception one time for the filibuster. we worked on those two members. you know their names. one is from west virginia. is retiring. the other is from arizona and i think she's running for reelection. we talked to them and worked very hard to persuade them to grant this exception. let's be candid. let's be clear. let's be unfurnished. let's not mince words. it did not happen because of the two of them. they blocked the passage of the john lewis bill.

the republican blockade was there. we knew it was there. we knew we could not move it. mitch mcconnell told his caucus under no circumstances will we ever support voting rights. this is why it did not happen. we passed the george floyd bill twice in the house of representatives. a good strong bill. did not do what we wanted to do but we passed it. same thing. got to the senate, died right there on the vine. the freedom to vote act, the john lewis bill . same exact thing. the fourth when i would add is a commission on reparations which could never get the support in the house of representatives to be adopted. there is unfinished business on

our each and up. -- agenda. every one of these items i've discussed when explained to the american people generate 60 to 70% support. when they understand it beyond talking points. when they understand it beyond divisive rhetoric. when you tell them specifically what they do they have almost universal support. we cannot allow ourselves to be mesmerized into a mindset that what we want is something only we want. there is a broad coalition of people that support but if we do not raise our voices and say this is a priority. if we do not challenge those that won't commit to our vote,

if we do not use our platforms and leadership to tell the community why this is important and why these things are on the ballot in 2024, shame on us. this is the work that we have to do. let me close because our call to action is clear. our call to action is also what i would recommend that president biden when he gives his state of the union address include. number one, defend democracy. say defend democracy. number two, we want to demand diversity, equity, and inclusion. what does that mean? we demand a fair chance. demand equal access to the american dream. we demand equal economic opportunity. we demand that the words of the civil rights act

of 1964 be real. that what is on paper is what we live by. that is what diversity equity and inclusion -- don't get confused when people want to get into logical gymnastics. they used to call it fair employment practices. then they said it was eeo. that it was affirmative action. now it is diversity equity and and vision. some people want to call it belonging. part of me says, call it what you want. just make sure it's real. make sure it is real in terms of creating opportunity for the communities that were locked out and left out. so we must demand diversity equity and inclusion in factories, and

board rooms, in classrooms. everywhere in america. finally, we must defeat poverty. the 21st century has given us the largest economy in the history of human beings here in the united states of america. almost $25 trillion in gdp and you can't even tell me because i can't even remember how many zeros that is. but it is big. $25 trillion. yet, here is the truth. the truth is you have what i call traditional poverty, extreme poverty, people on the edge simply trying to keep their head above water. then you have those, and this is a

large portion, who get up and go to work every day. they might have two jobs. they are raising children or taking care of seniors and other family members. they cannot pay their rent. there is not enough money to make the mortgage work, pay for food, transportation. we have a new working poverty in america which is partitioned -- pernicious. this is part of the wealth gap. we need a renewed effort. bring back the child tax credit. it made a difference. passed the national living wage bill and index it to inflation. give us a comprehensive plan on homeownership. to make housing more affordable

and build more affordable units. give us, give us a way to make college more affordable. and don't preach to me about, everybody doesn't need to go to college. if they don't they should decide, not you. we don't want tracking and steering. the days of segregation, high schools in the black community, in the south taught manual arts, homemaking, not college prep. they were not designed. i believe in workforce and certificates and community colleges and job opportunities for those without college. but i don't want any young

person who has a vision and a dream to be college educated to not take that pass because money is in the way. i do not want dreams and aspirations to be suppressed because somebody else said, you don't need a college degree. we have to stand up for a system of human capital preparation, certificate for community colleges or quality high schools or apprenticeship programs or workforce development programs and college and graduate school that is attainable and affordable for everyone. america became the economic powerhouse in the 17th and 18th

centuries because of the system of slavery and free labor. post-world war ii it became an economic powerhouse, i would contend because of combination of things. yes, the g.i. bill let many of us out but civil rights. civil rights opened the doors. you look at the economy in 63 and then you look at 64 and 2024. you look at houston, dallas, atlanta before civil rights and after civil rights. you get my point. the 64 act, the transformation of america toward democracy is good for us, it is good for all.

i am going to just close by reminding you of two things. this year i want everybody to embrace this message. take it back to your local communities. people say, what is the agenda, we want to defend democracy, defeat poverty. we want policies, initiatives, programs, recommendations. we want to focus on doing that. then we are going out with a civic engagement campaign this fall. we have to register people, educate people, and we have to mobilize people. we have to register them and educate them and mobilize them. let me say this. not voting is not a strategy. [applause] i hear people say, well, i'm

going to hold my vote. and i'm like, what strategy is that? what book are you reading? do you have a comprehensive strategic plan as to how not voting -- not voting is not a strategy. not voting is unilateral. not voting is not going to a knife fight with a water pistol. it's going to a knife fight with your hands tied behind your back. they are tied behind your back because you tied them, not somebody else. we have to be clear eyed and understand that voting for candidates is not like american idol. i'm not going to sit

there and say who entertained me and made me feel good? i love their charisma. they have funny jokes. voting is about comparing their commitments, promise, seriousness about what they are going to do. we have to educate the community that this is about our power and we can't give it up. but we have to also understand, voting alone is not a magical wand. you don't just vote for somebody and go sit back. it's part of being specifically engaged. we have to do more than that. we have to be organized, engaged, part of the policy conversations. we have to be involved at the local levels. our job is to stimulate, encourage, and motivate communities to do the same.

the reclaim your vote campaign, stay tuned for more details about the work we will be doing. we are going to be out there. we said this time in 2020 we had to do a lot of stuff online. 2022 we did a lot of stuff online. it is time for us to roll up our sleeves and knock on some doors. get on the college campuses and go to the neighborhoods, barbershops, beauty salons, churches,. have conversations with people about the importance of participation and civic engagement. can i count on you? are you ready? not on our watch. not on our watch. we would like to thank you for tuning in. state of black america.org is where the full and complete report is available. it is free.

download it. please share it. please share it. please share it generously and abundantly through your networks and community. good morning, god bless you. and thank you. [applause] >> give it up again. ladies and gentlemen, you have heard the diagnosis. now it's time for the prescription. the national urban league is committed to defending the integrity and intent of the civil rights act while expanding its protections to all vulnerable americans. at this critical moment for our

democracy our institutions need to advance equality instead of turning the clock back. to discuss this call to action, we have invited an outstanding panel of influential thought leaders and social justice activists. let's meet them right now. starting with the president and ceo on the national coalition of like civic participation and convener of the black women's roundtable, give it up for melanie campbell. our friends and our sister. now let's welcome the president and chief executive officer of the national council of negro women, siobhan bradley. welcome to the stage, the president and ceo of the columbia urban league, jt

mcglocklin. let's welcome back to moderate this amazing panel and discussion, president and ceo mark morreale. >> thank you all very much. i will get to the audience in a minute. jt, siobhan, melanie, thank you very much. jt, give us a historic perspective. you have been leading in south carolina. south carolina has been crucial to the movement. some very important items there. you have been there working for many generations.

help us, give us a perspective how you think about this moment. >> thank you very much. first of all, greetings from south carolina. south carolina is a home of african people that came to america. south carolina is very unique. we believe that we have to have resiliency and we must be able to do like our ancestors. we must be able to see it. once we see it we must be able to claim it. we can claim it by putting forth efforts. once you claim it you've got to achieve it. sometimes we stop at achievement. we added another factor. you've got to

maintain it. that is what happened throughout the country. we have a situation in south carolina. we are one of the few states that the confederate flag. we got a call in october from someone who said to us, we need the urban league to bring the flag down because it is a distraction, it sends the message that we are not welcome and we are second-class citizens. i think god we had dr. david swanton. he had his doctorate from harvard university. when it came to south carolina he hung with the people. he said if there is no justice there will be no peace. this is the president of the

university. he said to us, when we decide to mobilize, to march, january 17, 2000, we decided to march to bring down the confederate flag. they called me and said we only need 10,000 people to march. i said, wait a minute. we can get 60,000 people to a football game. why can't we get 60,000 people to march? we could not do it by ourselves. in south carolina we had a collectivist -- collective effort. we worked very closely with the naacp and other civic organizations. we mobilized and we were able -- we met at benedict college

and brought people in. a lot of times leaders want to lead and the followers can't see them. we had to bring the people to the table and discuss it. whether or not we are going to be able to put this march together for january 17. we said we don't have enough time. so we said we can do it. we voted, we are going to do it. we mobilize. so we stand on

their shoulders and we will have the vision to know that we come together. we walk by faith and not by sight. >> you brought new energy to the national council of negro women. the great toward the heights and many others , with also expertise with health and healthcare issues. our index showed some narrowing of disparities. give us some observations on how you see that.

>> i never told you the story. alexis -- one of the things i recall was a picture of whitney and dorothy. somehow god does some things in order. i will say that health care for me has been the cornerstone of how politics have moved to this country. one of the things we learned about healthcare context -- you were probably this first organization for health.

the context for that, the reason why went to healthcare was i saw people struggling with healthcare. i was in the office as a collegiate. so i knew as an athlete i had to create space for healthcare for my people. what i did not know that i was going to be called. healthcare has really made this a greater cause. the first death threats came to my office because of the affordable care act. closing the gap on healthcare will close the gap

on economics, transportation, housing. if you are not healthy you cannot go to work or learn in school. if you are not healthy you can't get out of your bed. the disparities are nothing but differences. what it really means is removing barriers out- of-the-way with quality of life and health. it can't be achieved at the barriers are bigger than the plan. the closing of those gaps. i appreciate the opportunity for this report because healthcare for me is a human rights activist plan. the gaps been

closed in chronic disease because we are learning about chronic disease. we had those deteriorating in the communities. they said that the color was brown. you can't have good nutrition. i'm saying i want a brown banana plan. the context now is how do we create gaps to expanded opportunities to expand outside of us advocating which means healthcare providers have to be black. they have to be women with disabilities. healthcare cannot change if we do not have a partnership with corporations. i am fine with corporations. not fine with killing people.

the policy practice on how we bring industry. i promise you we can push this administration and make politics a much better place for black people in america. >> thank you. excellent. melaney, we have experienced a lot of this journey together as part of the coalition of civil rights over the last decade, decade and a half. you've spent a good part of this year in the states, michigan and south carolina and places mobilizing voters. what you want to share for what you are hearing, what you are thinking and what the challenge

is for 2024 to get the community fully engaged? >> you said it already. we have to get in the streets. our people -- i have to step back to it is always a pleasure . thank you all again for inviting me. the three of us were together on february 2. i saw the president of artists for the south carolina primary. here we are here today. that is no accident. we are all gathered here for such a time as this.

we are not in an existential threat. the attacks that are taking place and not diversity equity and inclusion. people get it if you say you are not going to have the ability to make that money. you are going to have the ability to become that. we have to break down what i am hearing. people are hearing and dealing with -- they don't see the numbers. i don't know about you, sometimes you make it is not really happening. so glad you have the information about the current administration. we

are winning. if we were winning they would be going after us. they would not be trying to shut us down. so we are winning. you know i am from florida. always going to lift up my hometown. when i go back home it is not getting all the way down to everybody. unemployment is still high in my hometown. it's a destination place. they are not seeing that. with acn florida, thank you, urban leak, you guys give me a check when i did not have any money. i do these things sometimes.

the money came. we have to get down to knocking on those stores and communicating with our people or they are not going to show up. we spent that 30 days. what we kept hearing was, i'm still struggling. i cannot afford to get the childcare. i can't afford eggs. if i had one more person talking to me about the cost of eggs, have you seen the cost of eggs, it's a real thing. if i don't feel it i'm not going to connect it to what you have here. if we don't get into the community and knock on the stores that old-fashioned way, we can do this all day long. i've got two of them. i let go of one for a minute. we have to get into the community and a really and we cannot wait. we have to do it now.

urban league, i remember when mark and i hooked up. you know i'm not lying. this is my brother from another mother. in my line? >> you are right. >> we were at harvard university . i was doing a fellowship. that is when they got the position. they had that conversation about how we have to work together and how we have to organize together and unify. dr. daniels, you know what i'm talking about. we have to come together now and do it now. people respect you all to bring the information. you are in the

suites and the streets and we need you in both. >> how about a big round of applause. we have a few minutes . i will : -- call on dr. mike daniels for a question. that i will call on liam barnes. you were just there in my eyesight. then i will call on you. no sermons. if you want to share a brief statement we only have about 8 to 10 minutes.

thank you for being here. ron daniels. [applause] >> you can always change the proposition. >> let's just him this microphone down. thank you. >> i don't have a question but a commendation really. it is so important that we know our history and the way in which this is laid out, a discussion of post reconstruction. we are at a moment in terms of civic engagement.

dr. you said we need a call to the offensive. am about to read that again because we need to know the history. ketanji brown jackson is brilliant because she knows what happened with those reconstruction amendments. we all need to know that. did not have a question. i got the challenge. let's go to work. it can't just be the virtual. we need to connect the virtual with what we've always did. we have to do the commendations on the history. >> thank you. william barnes, thank you for being here. >> think you. let me say this. thank you for your leadership. we continue to talk about this and the conductivity i think about every time he stands before us. the conductivity with other leaders in the community so i want to make that is a statement first and foremost.

here is a question. i had a conversation with some of my colleagues yesterday. we were talking about how we continue to mobilize and keep folks engaged. when we talk about engagement, you know you have the report out because it relates to president joe biden. it does not seem to be translating to the community as it relates to, do we have the right things happening coming out of dc. the question is, how do we work on the challenges? they are real. make no mistake. they do not say organization. they don't say that organization is the way to go. we have a fight on our hands that we cannot win without her young people. i am very interested to hear what are we thinking about and how will we make sure we are connecting with the generation to be sure that they can help us and support us. >> i want that one. two thinks. the inside joke of our office

is they call me number 45 and i'm 45 years old and that's an anomaly in our space. what i've told them is you can call me 45 but you better start calling me 25 seeker. those of the young people that have really literally checked out on the institutionalism. unless you are in a legacy space where you have to understand institutions you have to change your hat. i am blessed to be in a lineage of folks that looked at as a part of strategy. that is no longer the case. if we are honest about it we have left folks to create their own institutionalism because we have failed them. i say there's two things. vote values and if we do not talk about the realities on the ground we are just as complicit as the administration that we are criticizing. we have to tell our truth. i can tell you that young people are open when you have the conversation but we have not created a space for them to

have a conversation. it's not just on the streets but it is also going to where they actually go. there's a massive assumption that people are not engaged. young people are engaged. they just are not as tolerant as some of us are. so we work on the our tolerance approach and we can learn something. they wish we would say something. they would never take some of the stuff our ancestors took. we should be grateful for what it says pickett says we give them power. what i am saying to you is there is an opportunity. don't just be urban leaders put it on your jeans and your hats. give them an opportunity to sit at the table. the only reason is because we were at all of our tables. >> great response. we have one last question. go ahead. >> good morning and thank you

so much for this opportunity to ask this question. i am a preacher as well. a lot of times when i tell young people about putting i say, one thing we should do. we should do it like communion. in remembrance of. we don't do it any other way. for everyone in the room going back to the several communities want to know do you have any talking points to compel our younger voters to recognize the importance of voting? >> i would say yes. one, you have it right here. what mike laid out is a core, clear message. i think that is very clear. what we have in our organization as well. we have what we call power the ballot. we break it down and connect it.

when we were in florida we were also in the broader community. what young people got was the commitment. you have to make it simple. something they can grab. our tagline is we will not be erased. i'm in the airport and we have a shirt that says power the ballot. we will not be erased. it doesn't have an organization name on it. don't get me wrong. we have a brand but we have to pay for this stuff. that simple message, we will not be erased, we were shocked. you can make some money off some t-shirts and sweatshirts that can pay for the movement. make it simple and sharp. if you do the whole they are going

to listen. okay. >> so one minute there, jt. >> we let them know that achievement matters. young people don't want to talk. they want to see action. we have to continue to remind them that they are the future. >> some of the colleagues have joined us from morgan state. are you in the room? please stand. let's recognize them. [applause] so i will close with this. i think there is something simple when we talk about young people. one thing we must all remember is we were once, don't you get

amnesia. there is something simple. it is called listening. hearing and asking. i was accused of being disruptive, troublemaker. i was running for office as a young person and they said go sit down. i said i am not going to sit down. i foraged ahead. youth does not necessarily equate with the maturity. young people are taking on the responsibility to manage their lives, build a family, build a career. many young people have responsibilities to take care of others in the family. sometimes we need to listen a little bit. even if we are

going to engage as opposed to treating it as though we have all the answers. it is the line in glory. we need the wisdom of the elders and young people's energy. i dropped the mic and we stand adjourned. [applause] >> earlier today, homeland security secretary alejandro mayorkas testified about the budget in front of congress. watched this evening on c-span you will c-span.org. cease is your unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more,

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from inside the ballroom before festivities begin. watch the white house correspondents dinner on the c- span networks. >> gop lawmakers push back on senator bernie sanders's proposal for a 32 hour work week saying such a mandate it would hurt workers and crush small businesses. the vermont independent chairs the labor and finance committee. it would also pay 1.5 times a worker salary for workdays longer than eight hours and double for workdays longer than 12 hours. the senate hearing is an hour and a half.