Thursday, September 24 | Volume 40 No 28

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Washington: At CBC Week, California Leaders Center Economic Power and Investment in Black Institutions

By Regina Wilson | California Black Media

“We have to lean into talking about money and economics, economic development.” U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA- 37) delivered that message as California lead ers gathered in Washington, D.C., during Con gressional Black Caucus (CBC) Week for a conversation about economic power, strength ening Black institutions and investing in the people and organizations that serve Black communities. “We cannot be ashamed,” Kamlager-Dove said. “We’ve been ashamed to want to talk about money. We have been shamed to not want to say it is important.” For families trying to pay for childcare, care for aging relatives, send children to college, cover rent or build savings, she said economic stability cannot be separated from conversa tions about Black progress. The September 17 gathering, “Rooted and Ready: Building the Coalition to Protect Black Futures,” was presented by the Aya Education Coalition and Sierra Health Foundation during CBC week. Sierra Health Foundation President and CEO Chet P. Hewitt said strengthening Black com munities requires investing in institutions that preserve Black history, culture and indepen dent voices, including Black-owned media, bookstores and museums.

“The pathway to prosperity for Black people is not a service. It’s an opportunity,” Hewitt said. He pointed to efforts supporting more than 100 Black bookstores as spaces for Black in tellectuals, artists and creators, along with in vestments in Black newspapers and smaller Black museums that serve as repositories of history. His message was that Black commu nities need institutions with the resources to survive, grow and continue telling their own stories.

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