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Info: We meet Angela Rye, the Executive Director and General Counsel to the Congressional Black Caucus. She discusses her role in developing overall legislative and political strategy with the caucus. She says the Congressional Black Caucus, founded in 1971, is often referred to as the “conscience of the Congress,” and that it advances the causes of people that don’t have a voice. She points out that the current 42 members of the caucus come from rural and urban communities, and she is tasked with finding common ground to formulate policy directives. She describes a caucus forum she attended in Detroit last year where the crowd was angry and vocal about unemployment and economic issues. She highlights the issues of voting rights and job creation as the priorities of the caucus in the coming year. Rye reminisces about growing up in Seattle, and the impact her parents had on her becoming a lawyer. She describes her role as co-founder of IMPACT, an organization which encourages economic, civic, and political involvement by young professionals. She currently serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships for IMPACT. In addition, she talks about the federal government’s contract procurement process and offers her advice to minority entrepreneurs to obtain more of that business.
