The African American political response to HIV and AIDS: A study of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 105th Congress

The purpose of this study was to understand how the Congressional Black Caucus, as a minority within a minority in the 105th Congress, achieved substantive policy success on the issue of HIV/AIDS. Scholars have shown that African American legislators have been slow to respond to the threat of the epidemic in African American communities. Some also argue that the CBC is marginalized and largely ineffective in providing substantive policy results for the African American community. This case study used interview data and participant observation to examine the CBC legislative and political response to AIDS. The study concludes that through transformational leadership, group cohesion, strategic committee assignments, and broad policy coalitions, the CBC is at times able to lobby effectively to achieve substantive policy goals for African Americans