About the BLKC:
The Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet of Silicon Valley (BLKC) was created in 2005 to support, sustain, and improve the lives of African/African Ancestry populations in Santa Clara County. BLKC is comprised of community-based organizations, agencies, businesses, sororities, fraternities, social groups, and individual community members who work in partnership with local organizations and individuals to advocate for the rights and well-being of the African/African Ancestry community.
Our Partnership:
In celebration and in support of African/African Ancestry Health and Heritage Month, The Health Trust is proud to sponsor Black Family Day, hosted by BLKC on Friday, February 24. The event is the culminating “coming together” of the community in honor of African/African Ancestry Health and Heritage Month. More information on the event can be found here .
Research shows that African/African Ancestry populations experience deep health inequities when compared to other demographics. How does Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet (BLKC) challenge these inequities and seek to build health equity in Santa Clara County?
Because the BLKC is a coalition of African/African Ancestry professionals, leaders, and community members throughout the county, we have a number of experienced health professionals who ensure that we are actively addressing these inequities. Some of the ways the BLKC seeks to tackle these challenges are by working with the county to ensure that programs like Black Infant Health and the Perinatal Equity Initiative continue to receive adequate funding. We published a Health Assessment and Research Project that informs policy and programming for Black lives in the community. We have been working with Black physicians throughout the county for the past two years to ensure that doctors and health professionals are receiving the support that they need in order to provide the best care possible. And lastly, we are always advocating for, challenging elected officials to push, and leading efforts to address policy that will have a substantial impact on making health outcomes more equitable.
What projects and/or initiatives is the Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet currently working on?
The BLKC identified its current priorities as the following: mobilizing, educating, and engaging Black residents around local politics and government operations, addressing Black women’s issues including maternal mortality and reproductive issues, ensuring the new government leaders in the City of San Jose center racial equity for Black and other oppressed racial communities within their policy and legislative recommendations. Also, the BLKC is working to support the development of the African American Cultural Center project, which will be a one-of-a-kind housing development, community resource center, and cultural hub for Black residents of Santa Clara County located in San Jose. This project is of the utmost significance and importance to the BLKC and all of its stakeholders. Lastly, as we seek to do every month, we continually work to connect our community members and align efforts of services and advocacy throughout the region.
What is your vision for the future of Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet?
I think one thing people have to realize is that the BLKC is composed of, essentially volunteers. I have a full-time job. Alma Burrell and Yvonne Maxwell, the former co-chairs, have full-time jobs. And everyone who commits to attending all of our planning team meetings and programming, all have paid employment that requires their time. Because of that, I think that the BLKC is doing amazing work throughout the county given such a limited amount of bandwidth. Part of my vision for the BLKC is to have some paid staff who can devote their full-time to power-building, advocacy, and political efforts on behalf of the African/African Ancestry community in Silicon Valley. I see the BLKC as an organization that has a ton of potential to drive change, and so many Black organizations within the county focus on serving the county. BLKC is special because we bring the knowledge, skills, and expertise from all industries to fight for our community. With additional investments in our effort, the coalition and the work with which we aim to accomplish, will only grow.
How can the community support your work and participate in African/African Ancestry Health and Heritage Month?
There are a number of ways that the community can support the BLKC and participate in African/African Ancestry Health and Heritage Month. The first way is to attend as many of the month’s events as possible. There is such a robust, diverse array of events that I believe everyone who attends the events will benefit greatly. Secondly, a great way to continue to support the work of BLKC is to continue to support African/African Ancestry community-based organizations, policy efforts that seek to address inequity and racial justice. Lastly, make sure inform members of the African/African Ancestry community that they are welcome to any BLKC monthly meeting (first Thursday of every month at 12pm) and that we need everyone’s voices, skills, passions, and energy to continue to ensure that we are supporting our community and helping it to thrive.