Sacramento businesses, leaders pledged support of Black communities in 2020. Who stepped up?
Following the protests and calls for racial justice that defined the summer of 2020, many businesses and government groups doubled down on pledges to support Black communities affected by systematic and racial oppression.
A year and a half later, there are mixed reviews on how well those commitments were carried out in the Sacramento region, research and interviews with Black business leaders conducted by The Sacramento Bee found. The city of Sacramento and some businesses stepped up to lead change, while other groups made promises they didn’t keep.
Since 2018, the city of Sacramento has invested nearly $400 million from different sources, including money from the CARES Act, the Measure U sales tax and the American Rescue Plan to focus on economic development projects, homelessness and affordable housing. The focus on racial equity and community investment in Sacramento started before last summer, but efforts intensified over the past 18 months.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in a June 2020 news release that he would pledge to work toward ending systemic racism in Sacramento, focusing on an economic development plan for communities of color and predominantly Black communities.
“I pledge today to update our use of (police) force policies to align with national best practices. I pledge today to fight for investments in our neighborhoods. I pledge today that I will dedicate the remainder of my elected service over the next four and a half years to doing all I can to end systemic racism in Sacramento,” he said.
The city’s use of force policy was updated, making lethal force a last resort for law enforcement. An independent inspector general was hired to review use of force cases and release findings. A community response team was also created to respond to non-life threatening 911 calls.
In 2021, the Sacramento City Council created a Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee to work alongside a nonprofit organization, Race Forward, in helping make decisions on policy change and spending through a lens of equity.
“We have changed the investment strategy in this city over the last four years, to make it a priority and ongoing priority, investing in our neighborhoods, our people, with an emphasis on communities (and) neighborhoods that have been traditionally disadvantaged and the numbers back it up,” said Steinberg.
Kings, SMUD work on social justice
Professional sports teams and athletes around the nation have also been advocates for change. The Sacramento Kings did so by connecting with grassroots organizations.
The team founded the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council in 2017 to be a catalyst for equity by empowering teammates to value and respect each other’s individuality through education and awareness.
The Kings also made a promise to support Black communities in Sacramento last summer by establishing the “Pledge to Our Black Communities,” which involved using the Kings’ platform to influence social change.
The team has established programs and initiatives, including Team Up for Change, a model for how other professional sports teams can address injustice issues in their cities.
Another initiative was Funding for Kings and Queens Rise Youth Sports and Mentoring League, which aims to prevent and interrupt violence by providing an opportunity for young people to engage in intercommunity activities that provide a caring, productive environment through community building, sportsmanship, and resources for health and safety.
The Kings’ efforts have included amplifying Black voices, investment in Black businesses and support for Black communities, especially through ongoing education. In the past year, the organization also established a new position: vice president of diversity, equity, and social impact.
“We have a history of speaking out about issues of social and racial injustice and promoting civic engagement,” said a release from the franchise. “We are dedicated to doing the work with our community, utilizing the team’s platform to influence systemic change and remain focused on being a part of the solution through sustained action.”
The Kings were recognized with the 2019 and 2020 NBA Innovation Inclusion Awards and were among the finalists for ESPN’s 2020 Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award.
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District was another organization that responded to the summer of racial reckoning, contributing with community-focused programs that include the Sustainable Communities partnership that helps bring environmental equity to historically underserved communities.
SMUD recently developed a resource map that identified the areas in Sacramento that have been underserved, based on data from various sources in the past five years.
“The fact that we’re a community utility, we serve the public, and we’re proud to be from (one of) the most diverse cities in the United States,” said Jose Bodipo-Memba, director of the Sustainable Communities program with SMUD. “It’s important that our Black customers, or Latinx customers, everyone, have an opportunity to have a quality of life.”
Azizza Davis Goines, president and CEO of the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, praised SMUD, calling the utility “a real partner” that has made a significant commitment to the communities it serves.
During the height of the protests in the summer of 2020, she said many corporations and businesses came to her asking how they could help. But very few have kept the commitment.
“My speech to everybody that came to me last year was, you can’t assuage guilt with one year of help,” said Davis Goines. “If you really mean that you believe in the change that we’re trying to see happen, and trying to make happen, (then) you’re going to be a part of that for more than just a year.”
It’s one thing to make statements advocating racial and social justice. But she said that becomes contradictory if a business’s or organization’s practices do not help solve long-standing issues or, worse, perpetuate injustices.
Black businesses struggle
Jamaar Anderson first opened the doors at Savvy House Coffee Bar in Elk Grove in April 2019. Traffic volume, along with revenue, was less than modest at first and he began operating at a loss.
But revenue soon increased, and not just because of word-of-mouth advertising. It became a social trend to support Black businesses and communities nationwide after 2020’s protests sparked by the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
Anderson said the increase in revenue was not enough to turn a profit and was hardly sustainable. When he sought grant funding from programs promised after the protests, he said he was still denied because he didn’t meet certain requirements.
“For us, we made more money the pandemic year than we did our first year open,” Anderson said, “and that disqualified us from some of the loans just because you couldn’t make more money than the prior year.”
“That’s why they had so much money left over to help businesses because there’s so many things that disqualify you. If you weren’t in business for two years, you couldn’t qualify.”
There are community organizations focused on supporting marginalized communities, small businesses and micro businesses. One is the Marginalized Community and Small Business Coalition (MCSBC), which advocates on behalf of businesses to ensure program requirements and policies do not create new barriers, and looks to increase the number of eligible businesses for financial resources.
The MCSBC is made up of the California Black Chamber of Commerce, Black Small Business Association of California, The Black Media Group, Green Tech and the Neighborhood Innovation Project.
Samuel Kinsey, the outreach coordinator at the California Black Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks company leaders need to step up more to address inequities. Rather than simply making statements and providing funding without purpose, he said leaders should address the true areas of concern for marginalized businesses being overlooked.
“Actions speak louder than words,” Kinsey said. “I think that anybody that makes a pledge to help any type of community, any type of person, regardless, the action will speak louder than the word.”
The MCSBC formed to help micro businesses in marginalized communities by identifying their needs and connecting businesses with technical assistance in accounting, technological services, social media, marketing and financial literacy.
“I think the biggest problem to (solve) is understanding,” Kinsey said. “I think a lot of people, these bigwigs, don’t understand that it’s not just one category of small business. You have got to help its micro businesses. You (have) to do the effort.”
The same understanding is needed for nonprofit organizations
Funding for nonprofits mainly comes from community donations and local organization sponsors, leaders say. Money from larger entities is given to the nonprofit sector less frequently.
That’s no surprise, according to Berry Accius, who founded Voice of the Youth, a nonprofit focused on youth empowerment and violence prevention.
“Why would white corporations fund the Black revolution?” said Accius.
His money mostly comes from fundraising and donations from people in the community who want to see progress for the next generation. He said there is money available, but it doesn’t always go to the right places and organizations. He said he believes large funders find organizations they are comfortable with.
“They give money to one organization to spread out, but (the organization) doesn’t follow up with where it’s going,” said Accius. “It’s a good tax write-off, make it sound great.”
Accius has held gift drives to give out toys, winter coats, shoes, backpacks and school supplies. He said he has tried to inspire positive change in his community. Still, he said, his group, like many others, still receives little to no funding for programs and services.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM.