In neighborhoods like Tulsa, Oklahoma\u2019s Greenwood District,<\/a> dubbed Black Wall Street<\/a>, and Durham\u2019s Hayti<\/a>, a single dollar would pass through dozens of Black hands before leaving the community. That circulation created wealth, but also independence and pride.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we were segregated, our dollar circulated in our community up to 100 times,\u201d King said. \u201cWhat we\u2019re doing now is reclaiming that same economic power through knowledge and capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n Then came the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre<\/a>, federal redlining policies<\/a>, and urban renewal projects that bulldozed Black business districts<\/a> across the country; the infrastructure of Black prosperity was systematically dismantled. In California, the first Black-governed town of Allensworth<\/a>, founded in 1908 by Col. Allen Allensworth as a model of self-sufficiency, was also slowly undermined by discriminatory water policies and economic neglect.<\/p>\n King explained that the economic setbacks Black businesses face today are rooted in deliberate systemic barriers.<\/p>\n \u201cOur government was purposeful in destroying the foundation of Black business,\u201d he said. \u201cNow we\u2019re being purposeful in rebuilding it.\u201d<\/p>\n For King, rebuilding begins with modernizing how Black-owned businesses operate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a decade behind in technology, and two decades behind in AI,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to close with the Build Scale Grow program, helping small businesses not just survive, but scale.\u201d<\/p>\n Weber\u2019s speech traced her journey from growing up under segregation to holding one of the state\u2019s highest offices. Her remarks drew a direct line between the personal and the political.<\/p>\n \u201cI began to understand just how cruel life had been to Black people,\u201d Weber said. \u201cHow things were rigged against us in getting contracts \u2014 all the rules were written to keep us out.\u201d<\/p>\n Weber, who is California\u2019s first Black secretary of state, is helping to remove those barriers by expanding access to information, resources, and registration support for minority entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n \u201cAlways be prepared. We know our diversity is our strength,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don\u2019t give up because our ancestors never gave up. We continue to rise in spite of the challenges we face.\u201d<\/p>\n She encouraged the audience to stand up for what they believe in and be strong-willed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be the humanitarians, the fighters and educators,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything is taken from us lately, even food. Are you as strong as your ancestors? It\u2019s not the time to get weak-kneed and confused. It\u2019s time to stand up for what we believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n Chamber CEO Angela Lowe sees the program as a way to transform everyday skill into sustainable enterprise.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have gifts, we bake, we design, we fix cars, but we don\u2019t always know how to do the admin work,\u201d Lowe said. \u201cStop calling your business a hustle. Legitimize it. Get your EIN [employer identification number], get your business structure. So, when a crisis hits, you\u2019ll be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe\u2019s message underscored one of the chamber\u2019s core goals: helping small business owners formalize and protect their work.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFormalization gives access to contracts, to loans, to recognition. That\u2019s what changes lives,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n![\"California](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Black-Chamber-of-Commerce-4.jpg\")
California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber delivers her keynote speech at the 28th annual Economic Business Summit. Seth Patterson, OBSERVER<\/p>\n![\"California](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1108-Black-Chamber-of-Commerce-3.jpg\")
California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley N. Weber poses with her award. Seth Patterson, OBSERVER<\/p>\n