Grammy award-winning singer Tasha Cobbs will headline the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Incorporated (CBCF) Annual Prayer Breakfast during the CBCF’s 46th Annual Legislative Conference (ALC). International faith leader and senior pastor Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, of the Ray of Hope Christian Church in Decatur, Ga., will deliver the keynote message. The breakfast is scheduled on Sept. 17 from 7:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Reps. Lacy Clay and Karen Bass are the 2016 honorary co-chairs for ALC.
“The Prayer Breakfast is an opportunity to recalibrate and celebrate the CBCF and our mission, which has guided and inspired our efforts for 40 years,” said CBCF president and chief executive officer A. Shuanise Washington. “For more than 30 years, the CBCF has hosted this breakfast during the ALC—as a time to reflect about some of the most pressing issues facing our community. We are grateful for the many years of support from our title sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, who shares our mission of inspiring future African-American leaders.”
“We support the CBCF’s work to empower the African-American community because we know that it not only has an impact today, but also on our leaders of tomorrow,” said Lori George Billingsley, vice president, Community Relations, Coca-Cola North America.
Tasha Cobbs, who rose to the top of the charts in 2012 with her debut hit single, “Break Every Chain,” is a multiple Grammy, Dove and Stellar award-winning artist. In 2015, Cobbs released her sophomore album, “One Place Live,” and charted number one on Billboard’s Gospel and Christian Albums charts.
“I am honored to have been selected to deliver my musical ministry to this multi-generational audience,” said Tasha Cobbs. “The Congressional Black Caucus represents a sea of change that our ancestors would be proud to see how far we have come.”
Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. She has served in the ministry for 36 years and has been recognized by the African American Biographies Hall of Fame, the Martin Luther King Board of Preaches of Morehouse College, and the National Urban League.
“It is my honor to share a message of hope, of perseverance, and of triumph,” said Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale in anticipation of speaking to the more than 3,000 attendees expected to participate in the breakfast.
Other clergy participating in the program include Rev. Ronald Bobo from the West Side Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis, Mo., and Imam Talib Shareef from the Nation’s Mosque in Washington, DC. Additional musical ministry will be provided by the Royal Priesthood Choir of the Alfred Street Baptist Church from Alexandria, Va.
Proceeds from the Prayer Breakfast benefit the CBCF’s fellowship, internship, scholarship and research programs—and the foundation’s efforts to eliminate disparities in the African-American community.
ABOUT ALC
The ALC is the leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global black community. The conference features nearly 100 public policy forums on health, education, economic empowerment, the environment, and more. Signature events and features include the National Town Hall, Celebration of Leadership in Fine Arts, Community Breakfast and Health Fair, Gospel Extravaganza, Black Party, Prayer Breakfast, Exhibit Showcase, and the culminating event, the Phoenix Awards Dinner.
This year’s theme, “Defining the Moment, Building the Movement,” will highlight social and political moments in American history that define the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.
