In 2020 and 2021, the BLKC received catalyst grants from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation to work on advancing the needs of the African/African Ancestry Community throughout the county. This includes identifying and addressing policies in the county that have an impact on our community, and working to inform more people about the work of the organizations that comprise the coalition of the BLKC through a revamped website, as well as improve branding and outreach strategies.
The BLKC continues to help coordinate African/African Ancestry Health & Heritage Month (Black History Month) every February for the community within Santa Clara County. The month usually kicks off with the flag raising ceremony at San Jose City Hall and concludes with Black Family Day, a celebration of community, art, and family throughout the south Bay Area.
The Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet has been influential in the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring processes for high ranking city and county positions.
As a coalition of organizations, the BLKC worked tirelessly to help establish a branch of the Roots Community Health Center in San Jose. Since its opening in 2017, Roots has been pivotal to serving the health needs of the Black Community
With support from Roots Community Health Center, the SCC Department of Public Health, and Unity Care's COVID-19 Black Project, the BLKC helped to keep community members and organizations informed about the coronavirus, testing and vaccination sites, and prevention strategies throughout the pandemic.
The Black Leadership Kitchen Cabinet provides a forum for community issues to be discussed, analyzed, and resolved around specific action items.
The BLKC monthly meetings continue to serve as a space for organizations to share how they serve African/African Ancestry Santa Clara residents, as well as providing a space for collaboration and connection to other people and agencies. Recent meetings have highlighted the work of B.L.A.C.K. Outreach, Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center at Santa Clara University, and All A.I. Consulting.
The BLKC is helping to coordinate efforts around educating, registering, and mobilizing the African/African Ancestry community for local, state, and national elections. It is important that we ensure that Black residents understand the issues that affect them and ensure that their voice and our community's voice is heard.
After the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other lives, the BLKC and the San Jose African American Community Services Agency helped to coordinate efforts to create the Santa Clara County Black Agenda with countless other African/African Ancestry organization leaders and residents to ensure the community's needs are being addressed by city and county officials.
In 2021, the BLKC worked alongside leaders that represent organizations throughout the city of San Jose to help establish, and participate in, the Re-imagining Public Safety Committee. This committee is expected to deliver recommendations to city officials to help drastically change how public safety is enacted in the city of San Jose.