How Black conservative leaders aim to build the next generation in Washington
Seeking to harness what it sees as the momentum of the 2024 presidential election, the Black Conservative Federation is launching a two-day summit in Washington, D.C., next month aimed at bringing together Black conservatives and cultivating the next generation of leaders.
The inaugural Black Conservative Federation Solution Summit will be held July 11-12, bringing together elected officials, influencers, policy experts and strategists for what organizers hope will be a series of "bold, solution-driven conversations" on the most urgent issues facing Black America today.
"In this spirit of forward momentum during the Trump Administration, we are investing in the next generation of Black leaders who will define the future of our communities, our culture, and our country," Diante Johnson, the group's president and founder, said in a statement to ABC News.
MORE: Leavitt can not say if Trump will mark Juneteenth
Johnson previously served as the Trump campaign's North Carolina regional field director in 2016 and was a member of the Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board during the 2020 campaign.
The summit comes after President Donald Trump made modest gains with Black voters nationwide in 2024, especially among young Black men, a key demographic for Democrats, according to the Associated Press. Black voters made up about 1 in 10 voters nationally in the last 2024 presidential election.
Although roughly 8 in 10 Black voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris, that marked a dip from the roughly 9 in 10 who backed President Joe Biden just four years earlier. Trump, meanwhile, nearly doubled his support from 2020 among Black men under the age of 45 -- with about 3 in 10 backing him in 2024, compared to just 1 in 10 in 2020.
The summit will focus on six key topics: artificial intelligence and its role in shaping the future; criminal justice reform and policy transformation; cryptocurrency and Black economic empowerment; strengthening the Black family; navigating modern cultural debates; and Gen Z's influence in politics and media.
While several members of the Black Conservative Federation have gone on to work in the Trump administration and the broader conservative movement, organizers say the event is about more than short-term wins. It is designed to foster long-term talent and leadership development across the country, they say.
"We are not only honoring the legacy of freedom, we're building on it. By mentoring emerging voices and expanding access to civic engagement, we're carrying the torch of progress with purpose," Johnson said.
Among the featured speakers at the summit are Lynne Patton, deputy assistant to the president and director of minority outreach at the White House; Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas; Anne Marie Wiley, former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"; Alex Smith, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department; and Janiyah Thomas, former Black media director for the Trump campaign.
The Trump "pardon czar" Alice Johnson will also be speaking to the group as will Death Row Records founder Michael Harris.
Several high-profile Black conservative influencers are also slated to participate, including CJ Pearson, Xavier DuRousseau and members of The Carter Family, who stream videos on YouTube.
MORE: Trump faces mounting pressure at home and abroad as he weighs options on Iran
The Black Conservative Federation was initially founded as a political networking group for Black conservatives but has since expanded its mission to focus on diversifying the conservative movement and promoting conservative principles. The group emphasizes its work in political advocacy, outreach and civic engagement.
Trump addressed the group during a Black History Month event in 2024, signaling a rise in the group's visibility within MAGA-era Republican circles.
Its leadership includes Rep. Byron Donalds, who serves as chairman, and former NFL player Jack Brewer, the organization's current co-chairman.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canada retaliates against U.S. steel imports after Trump terminates trade talks
President Donald Trump said Friday that he had terminated trade discussions with Canada, citing an incoming Canadian tax on tech companies including those based in the U.S. In a post on Truth Social, Trump referred to Canada as "a very difficult country to trade with" and said that its levy on tech firms — the first payment for which is due Monday — "is a direct and blatant attack on our Country." "Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately," he said. "We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period." Last week Canada's finance minister said that he would not delay implementation of the digital services tax — which applies to any tech company making more than $15 million from Canadian internet users — even as U.S. trade talks continue. A lobbying group for some tech giants said the tax, which is retroactive to 2022, would cost U.S. companies as much as $3 billion. Those payments are due beginning June 30. The office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. But late Friday, Canada retaliated against the U.S. by imposing a quota on some steel imports and a 50% surcharge for imports that exceed the quota. Canada's finance minister said the government was acting to protect its industry from "unjust U.S. tariffs." Canada's government said it "remains prepared to take additional steps as needed." Trump's post cuts short what had been a relatively calm period of trade-related announcements — a stretch that had helped markets recover to the all-time highs seen in February. Shortly after Trump's post went live, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes briefly turned negative but rallied later in the afternoon to close at all-time highs. Friday had begun with encouraging comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who indicated the president was open to moving the previously announced deadline for trade deals from July 9 to Labor Day — and that country-by-country duties themselves were negotiable. A few hours later, Trump said that initial July 9 deadline was not set in stone, saying the U.S. could either extend or shorten it. Canada is the second-largest U.S. trading partner. Currently, the U.S. has a tariff rate of 25% applied to Canadian imports that don't comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade deal Trump inked during his first term before he upended it with a flurry of tariff announcements in his second. The 25% tariff on non-compliant Canadian goods excludes energy products, which are subject to a 10% rate. Canada is also heavily impacted by Trump's 50% tax on steel and aluminum imports — the country is the largest foreign supplier of those materials to the U.S. And it has also been impacted by the 25% duties Trump has imposed on foreign-made vehicles and auto parts. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
43 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Budget panels approve $58.8B spending bill in late night votes
The Legislature is scheduled to give formal approval to the $58.8 billion spending bill on Monday. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) Budget panels in both chambers of the Legislature in late-night votes Friday approved an annual spending bill that Senate Democrats have said will cost $58.8 billion. Legislators' proposal spends more than the plan Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled in late February, leaves the state with a surplus too small to meet a statutory requirement for a new tax relief program, and expands New Jersey's deficit to $1.5 billion (Murphy proposed $1.2 billion). If the budget stands at $58.8 billion, it would amount to the highest level in state history. The full Legislature is expected to give the plan a final vote on Monday. The next fiscal year begins Tuesday. Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex) on Friday read aloud a statement from an absent Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the Senate's budget chair. 'This is a budget that will help move New Jersey forward in the face of difficult fiscal conditions and severe economic uncertainty. We are making the best use of resources to address the priority needs of the state's residents in a fiscally responsible way,' the statement read. On net, lawmakers' changes to Murphy's proposed budget add $728 million in spending beyond what the governor sought, and while the total effect of their revenue raisers was not immediately clear, the state appears poised to take in less money from recurring revenue than under the governor's proposal. Republican officials, in what has become a yearly rejoinder, criticized the late-night budget votes, which were held before bill text was available to the public. Members of the press received copies of the spending bill at 8:37 p.m. Friday, but the bills were not posted online Friday. 'It's the complete opposite of what good government looks like,' said Sen. Tony Bucco (R-Morris). 'Their rushed, opaque budget charade is exactly why New Jersey is in the fiscal mess we've found ourselves in. There's no accountability, no planning, and absolutely no transparency, just last-minute deals and political favors pushed through in the dead of night when no one is looking.' Friday's vote by the Senate's budget committee capped an unusual process that began when the panel met on Thursday but ended its meeting without a vote on the budget. Instead of adjourning, the committee took a 24-hour-long recess that allowed members who would not be present Friday, like Sarlo, to record their votes early on a budget bill that did not yet exist. Witnesses and lawmakers praised the budget's full $7.2 billion pension payment, and the more than $12 billion it sets aside for formulaic school aid. However, some expressed concern that the state would still spend more than it brings in. 'I appreciate the responsible side of this budget where it's full pension payment, it's a full school aid payment, a healthier surplus than we're used to, but there's no signs of the structural reforms we truly need to give our next governor a healthier budget,' said Chris Emigholz, chief government affairs officer for the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. Assemblywoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Essex), her chamber's budget chair, said the state's next governor, who will take office in January, would need to determine whether some programs should be jettisoned. Murphy is barred from seeking a third term in November. 'Whoever comes in, I think that there's going to be some decisions that are going to have to be made. I think whether it's a Republican or a Democrat, they're going to have to take a look at especially some of the senior proposals just to see what we can do,' she said. Much of the new spending comes from legislative add-ons — variably called district spending, Christmas tree items, or simply 'pork.' Those items are numerous and varied, and their costs total in the hundreds of millions. They include millions in capital funding to individual school districts, like the $21 million Newark schools will receive, or for local infrastructure projects, like $8 million set aside for roadway improvements in Camden. Other changes would undo cuts to college financial assistance for students and reverse a $20 million cut Murphy proposed to community colleges' operating aid. Those cuts had rankled lawmakers and spurred alarm from university leaders. The budget would pull an additional $70 million from the state's clean energy fund to pay for salaries at NJ Transit, plus an additional $50 million to underwrite more general state spending. NJ Transit was already set to receive a separate $70.1 million from the fund as part of an annual diversion. The bill assumes the state will find $100 million in savings on state employees' health care benefits in the first six months of 2026, though it provides no suggestion for how officials realize such savings. Instead, it asks state and public employee representatives to each submit their own plans. The boosted spending would take the state's surplus to $6.7 billion, according to budget documents that had not undergone technical review by the Office of Legislative Services. Lawmakers augmented reserves by increasing a diversion from a debt defeasance fund — which is meant to reduce debt payments by immediately paying debt down or avoiding it altogether — to $555 million, from $250 million. The proposed level of surplus should trigger a statutory provision to pause payments from Stay NJ, a nascent property tax relief program that promises to cut seniors' property tax bills in half. The provision is intended to halt the program if the state doesn't have enough money to pay for it, but lawmakers have previously overwritten it. The budget includes a range of new or increased taxes, including a hike to rates paid on cigarettes, electronic cigarette fluid, high-dollar property sales, and casinos' online wagering wins. Lawmakers followed Murphy's lead on nicotine taxes, exactly matching proposals he made in his budget message, but approved lower tax rates for casinos' online wagering wins than the governor had sought. Those rates rise to 19.75% in lawmakers' budget plan, rather than the 25% Murphy pitched. Legislators made broader changes to a surcharge on realty transfers of more than $1 million. Rather than doubling that tax rate to 2% and imposing a 3% rate on property sales worth more than $2 million, legislators voted to raise rates to 2% for sales worth between $2 million and $2.5 million and increase them by an additional half percentage point for every $500,000 in additional value, to a cap of 3.5% at $3.5 million. Their proposal also calls for property sellers, rather than buyers, to pay the fee, a change that would decrease upfront costs for those buying buildings worth at least $1 million and reduce the profits from such property sales. Legislators eschewed some taxes sought by Murphy. They skipped a proposed 10% hike to the state's alcoholic beverage tax that was forecast to boost collections by $18.5 million. They also declined to enact a per-truck warehousing fee estimated to generate $20 million in revenue. A degree of uncertainty remains around the budget. GOP lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are exploring broad changes to federal programs that could pull billions in federal Medicaid funding, among other things, from New Jersey. 'In many ways, this budget may be a hypothetical document,' said Peter Chen, senior policy analyst at progressive think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective. 'When those cuts start coming, we'll have to come up with the revenue somewhere. Otherwise, we will face devastating cuts to many of the programs that we all hold dear.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bill sets rules on sales tax hike
GUILFORD COUNTY — State Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham and Senate president pro tem, is pushing a bill through the N.C. General Assembly to set guidelines on how revenue from a quarter-cent sales tax increase could be spent if the referendum is approved by Guilford County voters in the November 2026 general election. Berger, whose district includes parts of Guilford County, said Thursday that the Senate approved an amended version of House Bill 305 that addresses the referendum issue. During its meeting June 18, the Guilford County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to yet again place the measure before county voters. Voters have rejected the quarter-cent sales tax increase six times in the past 20 years, most recently in the November 2024 general election. While the commissioners have said they want to use the additional revenue to support education, existing law doesn't restrict the use of funds collected for education or any particular purpose, Berger said in a statement. House Bill 305 would specify funds collected through a quarter-cent sales tax increase can only be used for classroom teacher salary supplements, fire protection equipment and services, Guilford Technical Community College and a small amount for municipalities, Berger said. A quarter-cent sales tax increase is expected to generate $25 million annually. 'Voters going to the polls in November 2026 need to know exactly what they're being asked to vote on,' Berger said. 'House Bill 305 now provides them with information so they can make an educated decision. I believe putting strict guardrails on the revenue collected gives taxpayers relevant information and guarantees the funds will be used as promised.' Democratic Guilford County Board of Commissioners Chairman Skip Alston said that he welcomes Berger's initiative. Having the quarter-cent sales increase revenue specified for certain uses will reassure voters and make them more likely to cast a ballot for the referendum, Alston told The High Point Enterprise. House Bill 305 now goes back to the House for a concurrence approval vote. Since the legislation is a local bill, it isn't subject to veto oversight by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.
