Congressional Black Caucus CBC

The Congressional Black Caucus grew out of the Democratic Select Committee formed in 1969 by Black House members and was formally organized in 1971 by thirteen founding members, including Shirley Chisholm, John Conyers, Charles Rangel, and Louis Stokes, with Charles Diggs of Michigan as its first chair. Its founders took the motto Black people have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, just permanent interests. In 1971 the caucus boycotted President Nixon's State of the Union address after he declined to meet with it.

Membership is open to Black members of either party and either chamber, though nearly all members have been Democrats, with a small number of Republicans joining over the years. The caucus has grown from thirteen members to about sixty, making it one of the largest groups within the House Democratic caucus. It produces an alternative federal budget each year, works on voting rights, civil rights enforcement, criminal justice, economic opportunity, and health disparities, and its members have held top leadership posts, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Majority Whip James Clyburn.

The affiliated Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a separate nonprofit, runs an annual legislative conference in Washington and leadership programs. The caucus elects a chair every two years. In the 119th Congress it is chaired by Representative Yvette Clarke of New York.