BIN: Our Voices

Bill Preston, Global Legacy Ambassador for the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development , discussed the ongoing mission to protect Rosa Parks’ legacy while addressing the disproportionate impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the Black community. Preston reflected on Parks’ life of quiet, extraordinary service alongside her time working with Congressman John Conyers, noting that she hersel...

Dr. Glenda Baskin Glover, former president of Tennessee State University (TSU), CPA, and attorney, discussed the systemic underfunding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Drawing from her book, How Dare You , Glover detailed how the State of Tennessee deprived TSU—its only public land-grant HBCU—of $544 million over several decades while fully funding the predominantly White U...

At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference, Negelle Morris, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Vantive , discussed the critical and disproportionate impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on the Black community. She highlighted that while Black Americans make up roughly 13% of the U.S. population, they represent approximately 36% of individuals livi...

Congressman Glenn Ivey (D-MD) serving as an honorary co-chair, described the event as a powerful and energetic gathering focused on organizing and community resilience. Ivey underscored the importance of preparation for the upcoming elections, arguing that civic efforts must extend beyond simply casting ballots to include post-election legal defense, election protection, and safeguarding the peace...

Congressman Wesley Bell (D-MO) reflected on his primary victory and his roots in community-driven public service, tracing his path from Ferguson City Councilman following the 2014 killing of Michael Brown to St. Louis County Prosecutor and now the U.S. House of Representatives. Bell emphasized that his legislative focus remains centered on comprehensive criminal justice reform, pointing to his tra...

t the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) spoke about the challenges facing her Los Angeles-area district, highlighting the ongoing impact of federal immigration enforcement. She addressed aggressive ICE operations, detailing cases of constituents being detained or mistreated—including an individual who was shot in t...

Yusef Jackson, President of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition , reflected on the enduring legacy of his father, the late Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away in February . Jackson expressed profound gratitude for the outpouring of prayers and stories from around the world, sharing how his father’s relentless optimism and core belief in every individual's inherent, God-given value continue to guide him...

At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., BIN News Anchor Vanessa Tyler spoke with Congresswoman Terri Sewell, the first Black woman elected to Congress from Alabama and the CBCF Chair. Sewell emphasized the significance of the conference's theme, "rooted, ready, and rising," as an opportunity to empower and inspire Black communities. Ad...

Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford emphasized the power of the gathering to inform and mobilize Black Americans across the nation with the November election just 45 days away. Pushing back against efforts to dismantle such caucuses, Horsford reflected on the CBC’s origins in 1971 and affirmed that its mission is to build community and advocate for policies that uplift not only Black America, but w...

Maryland Congressman Kweisi Mfume highlights the enduring importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), noting that questioning their necessity is hypocritical when predominantly White or religious institutions are readily accepted, especially since HBCUs produce 40% of the country's PhDs. Aligning with the event's theme, he reiterated that the Congressional Black Caucus rema...

At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference, host Vanessa Tyler spoke with South Carolina Representative Jim Clyburn . Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.’s book Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? , Clyburn emphasized the importance of learning from history to avoid repeating its mistakes. He cited the end of Reconstruction in 1877 via the Compromi...

At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 55th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., BIN news anchor Vanessa Tyler spoke with Maryland Senator Angela Alsobrooks. Alsobrooks reflected on her journey from starting as a Congressional Black Caucus intern in 1992, when only five Black women served in Congress, to the present day with 31 Black women members. She emphasized the importan...

BIN News anchor Andrea Coleman spoke with Congressman Herb Conaway , representing New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District, at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 55th Annual Legislative Conference. Conaway, the first Black physician with voting privileges to serve in Congress, discussed his panel on artificial intelligence (AI) and its impact on clinical research and healthcare policy. He...

Ohio Congresswoman Shontel Brown sat down with Vanessa Tyler from the Black Information Network at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference to discuss critical issues facing the Black community. Brown highlighted her panel work on Black maternal health, pointing out that high infant mortality rates persist despite Cleveland’s world-class medical facilities. Sh...

During the 55th Annual Legislative Conference hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in Washington, D.C., host Vanessa Tyler spoke with Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter about pressing issues impacting Black communities. Carter expressed strong concerns regarding recent redistricting decisions, such as Louisiana v. Callais , warning that such rulings create a license to discriminate u...

BIN News Anchor Vanessa Tyler spoke with Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Their conversation centered on growing economic strain, political division, and threats to democratic processes. Johnson highlighted rising living costs—driven largely by high fuel prices—and argued that unrestrained capital...

At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., Black Information Network host Vanessa Tyler interviewed Harley Williams, representing the youth-led national non-profit Black Girls Govern . Williams explained that the organization aims to empower the next generation of Black female civic leaders, having already reached over 500 Black girls nat...

At the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., Black Information Network host Vanessa Tyler interviewed New York Congresswoman Yvette Clarke regarding the caucus's growth and legislative challenges. Rep. Clarke noted that the CBC now stands 62 members strong, bringing diverse lived experiences from across the country to advocate for working-c...

During an interview at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., host Vanessa Tyler spoke with Hiram Smith, Executive Director of Community Engagement for Rodeo Dental , about the critical importance of oral health. Smith shared a personal experience where a heart attack he suffered was traced back to inflammation caused by untreated gum di...

Attorney Nick Pittman introduced the mission behind the Excellence Lawyers Retreat. Founded alongside other Black attorneys, the initiative addresses the ongoing constitutional crisis and civil rights challenges by mobilizing and equipping Black legal professionals across the nation. The retreat centers on three primary pillars: training attorneys in constitutional and civil rights litigation, fac...

New Jersey Senator Cory Booker addressed political oversight, midterms, and systemic reform. Booker sharply criticized FBI Director Kash Patel, citing the targeting of whistleblowers, abuse of official resources to shield personal connections, and intimidation tactics aimed at journalists who reported on those actions. Looking ahead to the midterm elections, Booker stressed that Democrats cannot m...

Tennessee State Representative Antonio Parkinson spoke with the Black Information Network’s Vanessa Tyler about legislative battles and redistricting in Memphis. Parkinson condemned the redrawing of Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, explaining that the state’s sole Democratic and majority-Black district was carved into three separate districts reaching nearly to Nashville. Despite serving un...

Princess Moss, president of the National Education Association (NEA), warns that public education across the United States is facing severe, coordinated attacks that disproportionately threaten Black students. Drawing on her upbringing as the daughter of two school bus drivers who viewed public schooling as the nation's great equalizer, Moss criticizes private school voucher schemes, arguing that...

DeMarius Love , Director of External Affairs for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), highlights the critical public safety imperative behind the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act , which recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Love emphasizes that AM broadcast radio serves as an indispensable, free, and resilient communications lifeline during catastrophic emergencies—such as h...

Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) provides an update on her ongoing legal fight against federal assault charges stemming from a May 2025 oversight visit to Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. McIver explains that while a 2–1 Third Circuit panel ruling rejected her bid to dismiss the case and allowed two of the counts to move toward trial, she views the prosecution as a politically motivate...