BLKHLTH Bodega and Panel at CBCF ALC55 - 2026
We had a time at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. ❤️
This year, BLKHLTH showed up at CBCF with two experiences centered on a question that guides so much of our work:
What does it look like when healthcare actually works for Black communities?
At BLKHLTH Conversations: Better Access, Better Healthcare, we brought leaders, advocates, and community voices together to talk about healthcare access and affordability, including the role of safety-net programs like 340B and the need for greater transparency and accountability in the systems designed to help people access care.
The conversation was moderated by AJ Calloway and featured:
Cameron McClure, MS
Strategic Partnerships and Engagement Director, AmgenGary A. Puckrein, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer, National Minority Quality ForumThomas Johnson, JD
Executive Director, ASAP 340BShonta Chambers, MSW
Chief Equity and Community Engagement Officer, Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)
And outside the panel discussion, we brought back the BLKHLTH Bodega, reimagined this year as a community pharmacy-inspired experience. Visitors stopped by to fill their wellness Rx, receive heart health screenings, take a civic health checkup, pick up some feel-good goodies, and spend a little time in community with us.
Thank you ❤️
None of this happens without community and collaboration.
A huge thank you to Amgen for partnering with us on BLKHLTH Conversations and to the Black Heart Association for helping us bring heart health screenings directly to the CBCF community.
Thank you to our moderator AJ Calloway, our panelists Gary A. Puckrein, PhD; Thomas Johnson, JD; and Shonta Chambers, MSW, and Cameron McClure, MS of Amgen for helping us hold an important conversation about what better healthcare access can look like.
Thank you to Jena and Courtnee of SE KWA Studios for bringing the BLKHLTH Bodega to life, Qondile Dlamini for the graphic design that helped shape the visual experience, and Javon Roye and team for capturing the photos and video that let us hold onto these moments.
A special thank you to the staff volunteers who helped us keep the BLKHLTH Bodega running throughout the week: Remington Rolé , Ashlyn Liverman, Anne Mbessa, Indigo Ferdinand, Esohe Owie, Kyndall Caffey, Esraa Dafaalla, Anisa Khadraoui, Brianna Freeman, Victor Nwogu, and Lindsey Ponder. We appreciate the time, energy, and care you brought to the space.
And, of course, thank you to everyone who joined the conversation, stepped into the Bodega, asked a question, checked in on their health, shared their perspective, volunteered, or simply spent some time with us.
We left CBCF with a lot to keep thinking about, and even more energy for the work ahead. These are just a few moments from the week. Check out our full photo gallery to see more from the entire BLKHLTH at CBCF experience, from the panel to the Bodega and everything in between.
