The state of Black America is a much debated topic in our nation. Pundits and scholars ponder what are the gaps that separate African Americans from other majority and minority cultures and why they exist. The issue has been attacked on many fronts; social, spiritual, cultural, legislative. While this multifaceted debated rages, more Black children are being left behind in our school systems, more Black men are wasting their youth in the prison system, more Black men and women are dying of curable diseases, and more Black families sit on the economic sideline while our nation prospers.

In an unprecedented move, Black elected officials throughout the state of North Carolina have unilaterally agreed that the issues that face Black America in general and Black North Carolina in particular, cannot be adequately addressed without a uniform strategy that takes into account the many variables that converge to stymie the growth and prosperity of Black citizens in our community.

In the fall of 2005 several organizations representing North Carolina Black Elected Officials conceived an alliance to focus on issues that affect the Black community in North Carolina and to establish a proactive agenda for change. The Alliance’s goal is to bring together the best minds in each societal realm to investigate the plight of Blacks in North Carolina and to establish a proactive model for change, rooted in legislative action, focused on identifying and promoting public policy issues that will positively impact the Black community.

The Alliance is designed to be a change agent, aggressively promoting public policy that will strengthen the communities we represent.  It will provide the opportunity to examine those issues that impact our communities and collectively establish and implement an action plan for positive change throughout the state of North Carolina.

 The Alliance, made up of a cross-section of Black elected officials throughout the state, along with partner organizations such as the State NAACP conference of Branches, the North Carolina Leadership Caucus, the Triangle Urban League and the North Carolina Association of CDCs, has a dual mission. In addition to identifying issues of concern to the Black community, the Alliance will also provide black elected officials the opportunity to share best practices and to learn how to more effectively serve in their roles as public officials. The Alliance will serve as a training ground for public and elected official aspirants, newly elected officials, and as a think tank for veterans who want to be more effective in their public positions.