Obama set to speak at Black Caucus dinner, Clinton to mingle

The president allocated most of his pitch to minority women and called them “the foot soldiers” in the civil-rights movement. “Women strategized boycotts. Women organized marches”, Obama said in his keynote address.

Paying homage to the lesser-celebrated women of the Civil Rights movement, Obama noted that the strides made during those pivotal times would not have been possible without them. Taking a stance to promote “full opportunity and equality” for women and girls of color in America, the commander-in-chief addressed disparities in society with regard to recognition, stereotypes and equal pay for black women, noting that the issue hits home for him because of his wife and two daughters.

Obama has had the dinner spotlight to himself during all but one of his almost seven years in office.

The president briefly acknowledged Hillary Clinton, his former secretary of state who was in the audience and is campaigning for the presidency.

U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 45th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, September 19, 2015.

Vice President Joe Biden will attend a Congressional Black Caucus breakfast Saturday morning but he’s not attending a dinner that night, which will include several Democratic presidential candidates, a source tells CNN.

In his remarks, Obama also touched on the issue of criminal justice, promising to work with CBC members and other lawmakers in the months ahead to advance legislation intended to make the system fairer and encourage the use of diversion and prevention programs.

He also swiped at conservatives who blamed him for animosity toward police officers.

“I want to repeat because somehow this never shows up on Fox News”, Obama said.

“We appreciate them and we love them”, Obama said of police officers. We want to protect our police officers and we’ll do a better job doing it if our communities can feel confident that they’re being treated fairly.

Boynton Robinson died late last month at age 104.