{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://adams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/hbcu-leaders-advocates-call-cancellation-national-white-house-hbcu", "HBCU Leaders, Advocates Call for Cancellation of National White House HBCU Conference", "2017-09-28", "2017", "2017-09", "Democrat", "House", "NC", "Alma Adams", "A000370", "adams.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "The growing aftermath of the White House controversy following violence and bigotry in Charlottesville, VA last weekend has reached the HBCU community, as leaders from advocacy groups and Capitol Hill are calling for the Trump Administration to cancel the annual White House Initiative on HBCUs conference.\nMultiple sources say that President Donald Trump\u2019s incendiary remarks on equal responsibility between fascist protestors and counter-protestors which led to three deaths and multiple injuries, was the final blow in a series of missteps the president has made on issues of racial equity \u2013 missteps which many in the community refuse to support with their presence at the annual convening.\nCalls for cancellation began this morning when Thurgood Marshall College Fund President and CEO Johnny Taylor wrote White House officials, suggesting that the delay in hiring an executive director on its White House Initiative demands more planning and collaboration with HBCU leaders to ensure attention to critical issues.\n\u201cIf the event is postponed, we request that the administration use the intervening period to hire an executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs and appointing the membership of the President\u2019s Advisory Board on HBCUs; these appointments are necessary first steps for this administration to show its commitment to advancing the HBCU agenda.\u201d\nIn\u00a0a press release\u00a0issued just minutes ago by HBCU Caucus Co-Founder and Rep. Alma Adams (D-N.C.), the lack of engagement has pushed the HBCU community to question the president\u2019s promises to the HBCU community.\nIn this current environment, and with zero progress made on any of their priorities, it would be highly unproductive to ask HBCU Presidents to come back to Washington.\u00a0I call on the President and Secretary DeVos to postpone this year\u2019s conference until a serious effort has been made to advance issues important to HBCUs and their students.\u201d\nThe White House has not issued any statement regarding the conference or plans to cancel as of press time.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://adams.house.gov/media-center/in-the-news/hbcu-leaders-advocates-call-cancellation-national-white-house-hbcu"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8804071694612503, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}