Webcasts

  • Avoice in Action – Rep. Chaka Fattah (PA)
  • June 2013 – Washington, D.C
    Host: CBCF
  • Representative Chaka Fattah joins Education Trust’s Legislative Affairs Associate Dr. Lynn Jennings to discuss education policy. This interview highlights the legislative initiatives sponsored by Rep. Chaka Fattah to combat education discrepancies throughout the United States.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. John Lewis (GA)
  • April 2011 – Washington, D.C
    Host: CBCF & Howard University Symposium
  • The March on Washington has been credited as the landmark event that led to the passage of Civil Rights legislation. This year marks the 50th anniversary of this significant time in history that catapulted the issue of civil and economic inequities against African-Americans to the forefront. The interview features the only living main speaker from the March on Washington, Rep. John Lewis (GA). Listen to his remarks as he reflects on the movement with journalist Joe Madison.
  • CBCF & Howard University Symposium: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the CBC with Former Rep. Bill Gray (PA)
  • April 2011 – Washington, D.C
    Host: CBCF & Howard University Symposium
  • This interview highlights the life and legacy of Former Rep Bill Gray (PA) In 2011 he participated in a lively discussion at the symposium hosted by CBCF and Howard University. The all-day event commemorated the 40years of historic service of the Congressional Black Caucus . Representative Gray, Mr Kurt Schmoke and Ms Dorothy Parker joined moderator Oneshia Herring fir a pivotal discussion of past,present and future.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL)
  • June 1, 2011 – Washington, D.C
    Host: National Association of Realtors, Washington, D.C.
  • Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. joins interviewer, Paul A. Brathwaite of the Podesta Group to discuss the history of the United States and the effects that it has on African Americans and their progress. Jackson also takes the time to dissect state’s right versus human rights and provides deep insight into justice, jobs and the law.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. Donna Christensen (VI)
  • May 11, 2010 – Washington, D.C
    Host: Washington Premier Consulting, Capitol Council, Washington, D.C.
  • Congresswoman Christensen discusses the intersection between her life as a physician and the active role she plays in Congress. From being the first woman representing the Virgin Islands in office, to fighting health disparities in the community, Christensen provides a closer look at her dedication to changing lives. Ms. Tonya Speed of Washington Premier Consulting is the interviewer.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)
  • November 4, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
    Venue: Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, Washington, D.C.
    Host: Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital
  • Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), herself a former Girl Scout, joins current Girl Scouts Becca Arbacher and Anastasia Broadus to discuss her path from Girl Scout to Congress, environmental issues and committee leadership. This third gathering in the Avoice in Action series was hosted by the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capitol at the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum in Washington, D.C.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (MI)
  • July 21, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
    Host: K&L Gates
  • Representative John Conyers, Jr. (MI) joins interviewer Mr. William A. Kirk to discuss his over 40 years of Congressional service. Rep. Conyers highlights participation in the Civil Rights Movement, his work to pass the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Bill, the founding of the CBC and judiciary issues. Event hosted by K&L Gates.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. Barbara Lee (CA)
  • July 8, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
    Host: The Coca-Cola Company
  • Representative Barbara Lee (CA) joins the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to discuss how she came to Congress and the history of the Congressional Black Caucus for the first in the Avoice Virtual Library Project’s Avoice in Action series. Ms. Tami Jackson Buckner served as the interviewer for the evening and The Coca-Cola Company hosted the event at its Washington, D.C. offices.
  • Avoice in Action – Rep. Donald M. Payne (NJ)
  • July 8, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
    Host: The Coca-Cola Company
  • Representative Donald M. Payne (NY) discusses lessons he learned from his father, how he made his way to Congress and his experience as a United Nations delegate in this Avoice in Action interview. Ms. Tami Jackson Buckner served as the interviewer for the evening and The Coca-Cola Company hosted the event at its Washington, D.C. offices.
  • The Experience of African-American Lawmakers
  • March 3, 2010 – Washington, D.C.
    Venue: School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
  • Two former members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Delegate Rev. Walter Fauntroy (D-DC) and Representative Albert Wynn (D-MD), joined moderator Jonathan Kuhl, Associate Director of Congressional Affairs with the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, to discuss the experience of African-Americans lawmakers in Congress with high school students from around the country. This production of the United States Association of Former Members of Congress (USAFMC) and the Avoice Virtual Library is part of the USAFMC’s Civics Connection program.
  • The Congressional Black Caucus, the Committee System and the President
  • January 12, 2009 – Washington, D.C.
    Venue: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • A seminar cosponsored by the Congress Project and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Avoice Virtual Library on January 12, 2009, in which panelists explored the relationship between the Congressional Black Caucus, congressional committees, and the president. Panelists included, Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, George Dalley, chief-of-staff to Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), Katrina Gamble, assistant professor of political science at Brown University, and Perry Bacon, staff writer, The Washington Post. Don Wolfensberger, director of the Congress Project, and Dr. Elsie L. Scott, president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, served as session moderators.
  • CBC Leadership and the Environmental Justice
  • September 26, 2008 – Washington, D.C.
    Launch of the Avoice Environmental Justice Exhibit at CBCF’s Annual Legislative Conference 2009
    Venue: Walter E. Washington Convention Center
  • The Avoice Virtual Library launched its sixth online exhibit with a panel session during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 38th Annual Legislative Conference on September 26, 2008. Entitled “CBC Leadership and the Environmental Justice Movement,” the session highlighted both the legislative and grass-roots efforts of environmental justice leaders to ensure environmental equality for all people regardless of race, class or geographic location. The session was moderated by Adrena Ifill, project director of the Avoice Virtual Library, and included remarks from Dr. Elsie L. Scott, president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Kevin M. Brown, a vice president and chief procurement Officer at Dell, Inc. and House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC) with a keynote address from Harold Mitchell, South Carolina State Representative and founder of ReGenesis, Inc.
  • Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Enactment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Bill
  • January 14, 2008 – Washington, D.C.
    The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday: How Did It Happen?
    Venue: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
  • On January 14, 2008, Avoice and the Division of U.S. Studies at the Woodrow Wilson Center joined together to commemorate the 40th anniversary year of Rev. King’s assassination and the 25th anniversary year of the passage of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Bill with a seminar addressing the social and legislative history of the bill as well as the continuing significance of Dr. King’s life today. Speakers included Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), Dr. Elsie L. Scott, President and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Denise Rolark Barnes, Publisher of The Washington Informer, and Moses Boyd, Senior Counselor with the Washington Group and former Public Policy Scholar at the Wilson Center.
  • Understand Our Past to Unleash Our Power – Avoice at the CBCF’s 37th Annual Legislative Conference
  • September 27, 2007 – Washington, D.C.
    ALC 2007 – Understand Our Past to Unleash Our Power
    Venue: Walter E. Washington Convention Center
  • As part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2007 Annual Legislative Conference theme of Unleashing our Power, Avoice hosted a panel on the importance of historic preservation in recognizing African American achievements and leadership. Entitled “Understand Our Past to Unleash Our Power,” the panel focused on the topic of capacity building, highlighting the importance of archiving and digitizing, in remembering the past achievements of African Americans and documenting their current progress. The panel was moderated by Adrena Ifill, the Avoice Project Manager, and included panelists Congressman James Clyburn, Faith Davis Ruffins of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, John W. Franklin of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Felicia Bell of the U.S. Capitol Society, and James Page with Dell Inc.

Thank you for visiting the Avoice online project. This website is being continuously updated with new exhibits, multimedia, and much more.