Black Women's Political Caucus

Black Women's Political Caucus
Name	Black Women's Political Caucus
Formation	1970s
Type	Political advocacy organization
Headquarters	United States
Region served	United States

Black Women's Political Caucus is an advocacy organization formed to increase the political representation and policy influence of African American women in local, state, and national arenas. The caucus emerged amid the social movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s alongside organizations such as the National Organization for Women, the Black Panther Party, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the Congressional Black Caucus. Founding and allied figures include civil rights activists and elected officials connected to Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Stokely Carmichael, and John Lewis, and the caucus has engaged with institutions like the United States Congress, state legislatures, municipal governments, and political parties such as the Democratic Party and Republican National Committee.

History

The caucus traces its origins to networks formed during the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power movement, and the feminist activism centered in cities like New York City, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles, overlapping with campaigns by figures including Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, Maxine Waters, Coretta Scott King, and Mary McLeod Bethune. Early organizational activity involved collaboration with groups such as the National Black Feminist Organization, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the National Council of Negro Women, and the League of Women Voters, and it engaged in electoral organizing around elections for the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, gubernatorial contests, and mayoral races. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the caucus responded to national crises involving legislation and litigation, interacting with entities like the United States Supreme Court, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 through voter registration drives and candidate endorsements. In subsequent decades the caucus adapted its strategies amid shifting political landscapes during administrations such as Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden.

Mission and Goals

The caucus states goals of increasing electoral participation among African American women, advancing public policy priorities tied to health, economic opportunity, criminal justice, and reproductive rights, and cultivating leadership pipelines for elected office and appointed positions in bodies such as the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, state supreme courts, and municipal councils. It aligns policy advocacy with organizations like the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the AARP, and the American Civil Liberties Union on issues including healthcare access debated in forums such as hearings before the United States Congress and advocacy around bills like the Affordable Care Act. The caucus supports campaign infrastructure similar to nonprofit groups like EMILY's List, civic engagement initiatives like Rock the Vote, and training models used by the New American Leaders Project and the Center for American Women and Politics.

Organization and Leadership

The caucus has local chapters, state affiliates, and national committees, with leadership roles often occupied by activists who have also held positions in organizations such as the NAACP, the National Urban League, the Black Women's Health Imperative, and municipal administrations in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Leadership structures resemble those of caucuses associated with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues, and the caucus has partnered with research institutions such as the Brookings Institution, the Urban Institute, and academic centers at Howard University, Spelman College, and Morehouse College for policy development. Prominent leaders connected to the caucus have included elected officials, community organizers, legal advocates, and scholars who also served with organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Brennan Center for Justice.

Programs and Activities

Typical programs include candidate recruitment and training, voter registration drives modeled after efforts by Freedom Summer organizers and groups like Vote.org, policy briefings, grassroots canvassing, town halls, and litigation support in partnership with legal organizations such as the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. The caucus runs leadership academies and mentoring initiatives similar to those by Emily's List and the National Democratic Institute, convenes policy roundtables with think tanks such as the Center for American Progress and the Heritage Foundation for bipartisan engagement, and organizes issue campaigns addressing maternal mortality, which align with research produced at institutions like Johns Hopkins University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It also issues endorsements in primaries and general elections, coordinating with state parties, ballot-access organizations, and coalitions including the Working Families Party and the Progressive Caucus.

Political Impact and Advocacy

The caucus has influenced the election of African American women to offices from city councils to the United States Congress, contributing to victories for candidates associated with figures such as Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris, Carol Moseley Braun, Maxine Waters, and Barbara Lee. It has shaped debates on criminal justice reform alongside the Sentencing Project and the Equal Justice Initiative, influenced healthcare policy conversations tied to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion campaigns led in states like California and New York, and advocated for voting rights in litigation and legislative efforts linked to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and cases before the United States Supreme Court such as decisions arising from redistricting disputes. The caucus has also mobilized around federal appointments and confirmations, participating in coalitions with the National Women's Law Center, labor unions like the AFL–CIO, and faith-based groups including the National Council of Churches.

Notable Members and Affiliates

Notable members and affiliates include elected leaders, activists, and scholars who have served in institutions such as the United States Congress, state legislatures, municipal governments, and civil rights organizations: Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, Carol Moseley Braun, Maxine Waters, Stacey Abrams, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Coretta Scott King, Mary McLeod Bethune, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (in allied feminist contexts), Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, Audre Lorde, Diane Nash, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Cori Bush, Michelle Obama, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Condoleezza Rice, Loretta Lynch, Sharon Pratt.

Category:Political advocacy organizations Category:African-American women's organizations