A. Philip Randoph Institute

Clayola Brown.

African-American community and union leaders are gathering in Phoenix Tuesday to kick off a conference aimed at influencing the upcoming midterm elections. 

Rev. William Barber and Rev. Jesse Jackson will host a forum with religious leaders, and speakers include the executive vice president of the AFL-CIO and the president of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.

Held by the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the conference will focus on issues like health care, workers’ rights and economic opportunity. Its theme is “Staying Woke and Fighting Back.”

With The Show was Clayola Brown, the institute’s president, to talk about what exactly that means.

The A. Philip Randolph Institute is a nonpartisan organization, so Brown says that when considering candidates for the upcoming election, they don’t look at the party, but the principles.