SHUTTERSTOCK ILLUSTRATION
Representation , Education and Advocacy
SBCC offers programming to help members be heard By Jennifer von Geldern
With a mission of assuring member businesses will benefit through services that sustain and increase their revenues , the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce has established programs and events that help African American-owned businesses thrive and grow by representing , educating and advocating for them .
One such program is Prosper , the SBCC ’ s foray into national-level advocacy at the Annual Legislative Conference in Washington , D . C . Launched in 2011 as the brainchild of SBCC President and CEO Azizza
Davis-Goines , Prosper enables the SBCC constituency to be represented to members of the Congressional Black Caucus . “ We take experts in specific fields to Washington , D . C ., to talk about how we ’ re working collectively to build sustainability in our underrepresented communities ,” Davis-Goines says . A chamber like the SBCC can leverage at the congressional level in a way that small businesses can ’ t on their own . “ If there is legislation that impacts small business owners and they need congressional representatives to understand their challenges , Prosper
is their opportunity to be heard ,” says Larry Lee , president and publisher of the Sacramento Observer . “ Through the SBCC , congressional representatives can be called to task to listen to the concerns and needs of small businesses .”
Lee is a longtime SBCC member through the Sacramento Observer , the newspaper his father helped establish in 1962 , and served on the SBCC board for six years , including two terms as chairman of the board . This past September , he hosted a discussion panel on the topic of sustainability in the African American business
12 comstocksmag . com | November 2021