NYU Wagner Represented at the 2019 CBCF Annual Legislative Conference
By: Javon Robinson (MPA-PNP)
Each year, NYU Wagner graduate students are eligible to apply for financial assistance to attend a degree-relevant or career-related conference or case competition. In the Fall of 2019, students took advantage of the NYU Wagner Competition and Conference Fund to attend the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) Annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. The annual conference brings thousands of people together, including legislators and community leaders, once a year to discuss issues facing the Black community from a public policy perspective. Topics included economic development, public health, education, and civic and social justice.
Madina P. Ouedraogo (MPA-PNP) attended a panel discussion moderated by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN5). The panelists discussed their experiences as Black immigrants in the United States. “As a first-generation American and a child of Black Muslim West African immigrants, the session deeply touched me, and I was so grateful to be a part of such a necessary and timely conversation,” Ouedraogo said.
Chiweta Rozaline Uzoka (MPA-PNP) and Sophanite Gedion (MPA-PNP) also attended the conference and were both inspired by a session titled Black Millennials Town Hall–Equity for 2020.
“The panelists ranged from city councilmembers to community organizers and doctors to environmental activists. Every single person on each of the panels was a changemaker who operated in spaces that were not traditionally built for them.
They explained how their experiences have shaped their journeys and how they continue to move forward,” Uzoka said.
“I was inspired to see people my age, and who looked like me, so beautifully expressing everything I have ever felt about the importance of civic engagement and shaping those words to call me to action,” said Gedion.
One student, Larquana S. Bryan (MPA-PNP), met with NYU Wagner’s Visiting Urbanist Michael Blake, who was participating in a session on urban policy issues.
While at the conference, Nia McIntosh (MPA-HPAM) connected with individuals working in technology, healthcare, and business. "My future job as a health administrator will allow me to combine many disciplines and will require me to leverage the knowledge of public health concerns that were brought forth from the conference. These issues ranged from the intersection of access to telehealth services to the need to increase the number of black psychiatrists to address the concerns people of color face daily," she said.
Tashiah Singleton (MPA-PNP) attended a panel titled Closing the Racial Wealth Gap: Home Ownership vs. Rates of Student Debt. Discussions included current borrowers’ financial incapacity to repay 58% of their loans during the first three years of graduation. Singleton was motivated to utilize the power of voting to ensure elected officials are providing solutions to address this significant issue.
“Now more than ever we need to advocate and hold elected officials accountable to rewrite laws and public policies that address the 400 years of discrimination and racism post-slavery in America,” she said.
NYU Wagner is committed to developing the skills and networks of our students beyond the classroom. The NYU Wagner Competition and Conference Fund supplements expenses for students to attend enriching programming that will further their professional development.