How Black conservative leaders aim to build the next generation in Washington

Seeking to harness what it sees as the momentum of the 2024 presidential election, the Black Conservative Federation is launching a two-day summit in Washington, D.C., next month aimed at bringing together Black conservatives and cultivating the next generation of leaders.

The inaugural Black Conservative Federation Solution Summit will be held July 11-12, bringing together elected officials, influencers, policy experts and strategists for what organizers hope will be a series of "bold, solution-driven conversations" on the most urgent issues facing Black America today.

"In this spirit of forward momentum during the Trump Administration, we are investing in the next generation of Black leaders who will define the future of our communities, our culture, and our country," Diante Johnson, the group's president and founder, said in a statement to ABC News.

Johnson previously served as the Trump campaign’s North Carolina regional field director in 2016 and was a member of the Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board during the 2020 campaign.

The summit comes after President Donald Trump made modest gains with Black voters nationwide in 2024, especially among young Black men, a key demographic for Democrats, according to the Associated Press. Black voters made up about 1 in 10 voters nationally in the last 2024 presidential election.

Although roughly 8 in 10 Black voters supported Vice President Kamala Harris, that marked a dip from the roughly 9 in 10 who backed President Joe Biden just four years earlier. Trump, meanwhile, nearly doubled his support from 2020 among Black men under the age of 45 -- with about 3 in 10 backing him in 2024, compared to just 1 in 10 in 2020.

The summit will focus on six key topics: artificial intelligence and its role in shaping the future; criminal justice reform and policy transformation; cryptocurrency and Black economic empowerment; strengthening the Black family; navigating modern cultural debates; and Gen Z's influence in politics and media.

While several members of the Black Conservative Federation have gone on to work in the Trump administration and the broader conservative movement, organizers say the event is about more than short-term wins. It is designed to foster long-term talent and leadership development across the country, they say.

"We are not only honoring the legacy of freedom, we're building on it. By mentoring emerging voices and expanding access to civic engagement, we're carrying the torch of progress with purpose," Johnson said.

Among the featured speakers at the summit are Lynne Patton, deputy assistant to the president and director of minority outreach at the White House; Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas; Anne Marie Wiley, former cast member of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills"; Alex Smith, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department; and Janiyah Thomas, former Black media director for the Trump campaign.

The Trump "pardon czar" Alice Johnson will also be speaking to the group as will Death Row Records founder Michael Harris.

Several high-profile Black conservative influencers are also slated to participate, including CJ Pearson, Xavier DuRousseau and members of The Carter Family, who stream videos on YouTube.

The Black Conservative Federation was initially founded as a political networking group for Black conservatives but has since expanded its mission to focus on diversifying the conservative movement and promoting conservative principles. The group emphasizes its work in political advocacy, outreach and civic engagement.

Trump addressed the group during a Black History Month event in 2024, signaling a rise in the group’s visibility within MAGA-era Republican circles.

Its leadership includes Rep. Byron Donalds, who serves as chairman, and former NFL player Jack Brewer, the organization’s current co-chairman.