Inside the U.S. Capitol, in a historic room where Abraham Lincoln forged friendships with colleagues from both parties, members of the Congressional Black Caucus huddled Wednesday with an unlikely coalition that included an L.A. city councilman, an Atlanta rapper, a New York radio host and a South Los Angeles developer.

The discussion veered from public policy to the personal as they talked about the economic state of black America and ways that they could work together to uplift their people and their neighborhoods.