Every fall, the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference (CBC ALC) becomes a kind of heartbeat check for Black leadership in America, where policymakers, organizers, funders, and thinkers come together to take stock of the moment and shape what’s next.
This year’s theme, Made for This Moment: Power, Policy, and Progress, felt like both a statement and a call to action.
We-Collab team members were there not just to listen, but to learn, and to see where energy is gathering, who is leading where, and how communities across generations are building power in a shifting political landscape.
It was powerful to experience the conference as a team, reflect, and find direction from young people, insights from city and state levels and merge these reflections and affirmations with current and future collaborations.
“In this moment, we’re leading and adapting, and not waiting for permission. We’re supporting those building power locally, helping move resources to doers, and celebrating those who move the work forward every day,”
– Niiobli Armah IV, Co-Founder & Principal, We-Collab
Lesson 1: All Politics Is Local
In an era of federal retrenchment, CBC certainly showed us that some of the most meaningful things are happening at the state and city level.
At the Black Economic Alliance’s Local and State Solutions Forum, nearly every Black mayor situated in a red state shared how they’re pushing back against restrictive state and federal politics. Cities like Atlanta, Omaha, Little Rock, and Cleveland are leading boldly, having created their own policy pathways, and protecting residents even when it means risking funding.
These leaders reminded us that these cities have long been the frontier of political innovation. The local level is where policy meets people and where courage brings real consequence for community.
“The real opportunity lies closer to home. Whole connections between federal and state will be harder to see in this era of federal shrinkage; we absolutely need voices in D.C. holding the line and preserving critical policy. Locally, we're seeing folks reverse-engineer resilience, creating pathways and protections that don’t depend on federal intervention. Cities, states, philanthropy, and business will have to reimagine their roles, finding new ways for resources to flow and communities to thrive.”
- Errol Allen II, Principal, We-Collab
This reflection captures the core of what We-Collab saw throughout the conference: federal retreat demands local courage.
Lesson 2: Young People Are Writing the Future
At the Black Women’s Congressional Alliance (BWCA) luncheon that We-Collab co-sponsored, we honored Black women staffers on Capitol Hill — the researchers, writers, and policy strategists who make government work but rarely receive public recognition.
Watching them be celebrated among their peers and colleagues was a moment of pure joy, a live reminder that visibility is necessary and powerful.
That joy mirrored what we saw throughout CBC: young leaders taking notes, showing up, and shaping what comes next. Long-standing leaders building bridges and opening doors. Both energies are essential. Together, they form an important ecosystem for progress.
“We’re watching a generation write the next chapter of leadership and change in real time. They lead from community, build through collaboration, and know that progress isn’t inherited, it’s made together.”
- Jerron Hawkins, Director, We-Collab
Lesson 3: Implementation Is the Place for Innovation
We’re surrounded by toolkits, playbooks, and frameworks designed to spark change, and many of them have laid important groundwork. But what we see now is an opportunity to connect these tools with the right people and conditions to make them work.
At CBC, we met a practitioner who’s helped thousands of young people find workforce pathways across multiple cities. Their success was a reminder that the real breakthrough happens when strategy meets implementation.
At We-Collab, we’re focused on bridging that space: helping align the people, institutions, and ideas that move impact from the page into practice. Our next evolution is about connecting funders, cities, and proven implementers so that strong ideas don’t just inspire, they take root in neighborhoods and transform lives.
Looking Ahead
Some key takeaways: stay close to the ground, celebrate the doers, build tools that land on implementation, and bridge the gaps to maximize impact.
For We-Collab, this reflection fuels our ongoing work with partners across philanthropy, government, and grassroots networks, helping design, test, and implement strategies that make lasting change real where people live, work, and organize.