54th Annual Legislative Conference Congressional Black Caucus Setptember 24 - 28, 2025

The Annual Legislative Conference is the leading public policy convening focused on issues impacting African Americans and the global Black community. The ALC is a unique platform where thought leaders, legislators, influencers, and concerned citizens converge to discuss and address critical issues, forge partnerships, and promote the political, economic, and social advancement of Black communities.

. 5 Tips for CBCF ALC CBC is one of the many reasons September is thee best month in DC. The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation hosts its Annual Legislative Conference as the convention center, and all the surrounding hard-to-get-into unofficial parties and receptions make things that much more exciting. I’ll be out at some of the parties and working with TikTok on something cool, but I’m an actual ambassador to the policy conference for a second consecutive year. Listen, please party, but don’t forget the POLICY. Lmaooooo. The conference can be overwhelming if you’re a first timer, so here are some tips: taliacadet A post shared by @taliacadet Download the CBCF ALC54 mobile app. This is the conference website at your fingertips. You can customize your personal agenda, set up and look at attendee profiles and receive real-time updates. Your login information should be coming any day now… Study and customize your agenda. There are dozens of sessions at ALC54. You simply can’t go to them all. Look at the agenda and flag sessions that speak to your interests with the ‘add to my agenda’ feature. I plan to attend the sessions put on by my elected officials, Sen. Alsobrooks and Rep. Ivey, and centered around the issues that matter the most to me—climate change, reproductive justice and the evolving media landscape. Dress comfortably. You should plan on dressing professionally (business casual or better), but you need to be comfortable. I recommend wearing shoes you can walk and stand in for hours and clothes that you’ll feel good in all day. Be ready to network. ALC54 is a conference after all. Have your business cards and introduction ready. There are so many Hill staffers, policy makers, advocates, industry professionals, brand reps and business owners in attendance to connect with. Don’t only go to the sessions. It’s easy to be laser-focused on attending sessions put on by members of Congress, but the exhibition hall at ALC54 will have many brand activations and freebies and Black-owned business marketplace. You also got to look into the signature event add-ons like the Phoenix Awards and Black Party.

Tramell Tillman makes History as first Black Actor to win Supporting Actor in a drama series for Severance

Tramell Tillman has made history with his Emmy win on Sunday night for Severance Season 2. In winning the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance as Seth Milchick in the Apple TV+ drama series, he is the first Black actor to nab the trophy. The Supporting Actor category was the only Emmys category to not have a Black winner. Tillman is also the first openly gay Black man to be nominated in and win the category. He won the award over co-stars Zach Cherry and John Tuturro, as well as The White Lotus‘s Walton Goggins, Jason Issacs and Sam Rockwell, and Paradise‘s James Marsden. The actor paid tribute to his mother in his acceptance speech. Tramell Tillman’s 2025 Oscars acceptance speech He said in part, “You remember what you want to remember. You make time for what you want to make time for, do the work, show up, and most importantly, for the love of God, don’t embarrass me in public. My first acting coach was tough, y’all, but all great mothers are. Mama, you were there for me when no one else was and no one else would show up. Your loving kindness stays with me, and this is for you. Thank you to the Academy. I am full. I am humbled. I am honored. And as my mama would say, ‘Look at God.’” ‘Severance’ led to to his ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise role Tillman told Blavity’s Shadow and Act earlier this year that his role in Severance led to him being cast in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. “Well, I learned that [director/co-writer] Christopher McQuarrie is a huge fan of Severance. And so as I chatted with him, he told me that he was a big fan of Milchick as well,” Tillman said. “So, you know, I think the success of the show and my work on the show Severance really did set me up, because if he hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have been in a Mission: Impossible [film], you know? And he’s such a talented and wonderful director and writer. The man knows how to tell a story.” Season 3 of the show is anticipated to debut in 2026 or 2027. The post Tramell Tillman Makes History As First Black Actor To Win Supporting Actor In A Drama Series For ‘Severance’ appeared first on Blavity.

Polo Ralph Lauren: A portrait of the American Dream

Cricket sweaters, patchwork blanket and distressed baseball caps. Each is part of the new collection called Polo Ralph Lauren for Oak Bluffs, celebrating the historically Black community of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard. The collection is an evolution of the 2022 collection based on Historically Black Colleges Morehouse and Spelman, who are again partners in the Oak Bluffs collection, and is a part of the company's "Design with Intent" portfolio. "Ralph Lauren as a man, as a brand is sort of the world ambassador to Americana," James Jeter, Creative Director, Concept Design & Brand Direction for Polo Men’s at Ralph Lauren told USA TODAY. "With that comes this incredible responsibility for us to tell these incredible American stories as fully, as broadly, as accurately as possible." The collection deftly weaves HBCU campus style drawn from Morehouse and Spelman with resort wear that references the historic Black beach town and Black traditions. It was just very important to tell that story, the multi-faceted, multi-dimensional experience that is the Black experience that also translates into the American experience. It is accompanied by a documentary on the community directed by Cole Brown titled "A Portrait of the American Dream: Oak Bluffs" that debuted on the brand's YouTube page on July 24.

Goodbye Summer/Hello Fall