; Whereas top scholars like John Hope Franklin, Mary Frances Berry, Kenneth Clark, Chris Edley, David Garrow, Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Ron Walters, and William Julius Wilson have worked with the Joint Center; Whereas, under the current leadership of Spencer Overton, the current president, the Joint Center has remained a consistent presence in the application and advancement of empirics-based policies supporting strategies to advance Black America; Whereas the Joint Center plays a critical role in keeping our leaders properly informed and educated on the issues that Black Americans face daily; Whereas, just last year, the Joint Center was credited for several efforts to achieve diversity in the workforce, including— (1) bringing increased awareness to congressional staff diversity, culminating with the establishment of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in the House of Representatives; and (2) encouraging companies to consider the future of their work through a racial equity lens; and Whereas, over the last 50 years, the Joint Center has successfully convened leaders of major cities to discuss workforce modernization in Black communities: Now, therefore, be it