A pretty groundbreaking meeting of the minds took place today on Capitol Hill. For the first time, the Congressional Black Associates met with the LGBT Congressional Staff Association in partnership with the FIRE Initiative of the Center for American Progress.

The subject on the table? Black LGBT Americans.

More after the jump.

Chris Crowe (pictured right), president of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Congressional Staff Association and a longtime legislative aide to Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), died Wednesday after a bout with meningitis.

Kat Skiles, Crowe’s friend and communications director for the LGBT Congressional Staff Association said, “To call this a tragedy would be an incredible understatement. It’s devastating to fathom an individual as kind, strong and spirited as Chris leaving us due to troubles with, of all things, his heart. We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones and family.”

Rep. Johnson went on to say that, "He was beloved by many for his generous spirit and good humor. He was a person who enjoyed life and...