Juneteenth Reflections: Black Women’s Ongoing Fight for Economic Empowerment

Today marks Juneteenth, America’s newest federal holiday commemorating the day in 1865 when the last enslaved African Americans were finally told slavery had ended, and they were free—two-and-a-half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
In 2024, Black communities in America are still fighting for emancipation. Emancipation from the injustices of systemic racism, from the legacies of redlining and disinvestment, and from ongoing efforts to exclude Black people from international wealth building.
The recent U.S. federal court ruling against the Atlanta-based Fearless Fund, which provides grants to Black women business owners, is yet another instance of the onslaught of successful efforts to undermine proactive efforts to right historic injustices for Black families in this country.
The attack on the Fearless Fund is not just an attack on a grant program; it is an attempt to silence and marginalize Black women entrepreneurs who have been systematically excluded from economic opportunities. Targeted programs like the Fearless Fund are necessary corrective measures to address historical and ongoing disparities that Black women face in entrepreneurship by leveling the playing field and deconstructing this status quo. Excluding Black women from these opportunities not only perpetuates racial inequality but also deprives our economy of the unique leadership, wisdom, and perspectives that Black women bring.
I’ve seen firsthand the lack of representation in business and financial sectors—I’ve often been the only Black woman in many of these spaces. From this position, I’ve also seen how critical it is to have marginalized perspectives represented to ensure our institutions are effectively shaping our systems towards progress. This understanding is one of the many reasons I joined The Greenlining Institute nearly five years ago. With our mission to address the racial wealth gap and ensure financial institutions meet the credit needs and investments into communities of color, Greenlining serves as a bridge between financial institutions and the communities that have been harmed by policies like redlining. We ensure marginalized voices are heard and their needs addressed by financial institutions with an affirmative obligation to redress past wrongdoings. This work is essential because, while redlining has been outlawed, its lingering impacts are far from resolved. In fact, our financial systems have become more consequential– alongside the growing impacts of climate change– in exacerbating existing economic disparities.
At Greenlining, we play a critical role as bridge builder between federal financial regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and communities in order to shape financial policies that better serve communities of color. Our engagement with these regulatory bodies ensures that financial institutions are held accountable for their practices and are encouraged to adopt policies that promote equity. Additionally, Greenlining works directly with financial institutions to negotiate Community Benefits Agreements. These agreements leverage the federal Community Reinvestment Act–the nation’s anti-redlining legislation–to drive investment into communities of color that were formerly redlined. We also advise financial institutions on creating programs that support and lend to BIPOC entrepreneurs, helping to foster a more inclusive economy and ultimately a more just future where race is never a barrier to opportunity.
I believe deeply in the transformational potential of this work. At Greenlining, we are not only reversing decades of exclusionary and discriminatory practices that have contributed to the racial wealth gap and deep inequities that hinder our collective progress, we’re also honoring the legacy of those who fought for freedom and justice to achieve that.
By cultivating and supporting Black women entrepreneurs, our society can pave the way for progress towards equity and a truly multi-racial democracy where opportunities are not designed to perpetuate and protect white supremacy. This is how we create a thriving economy that benefits everyone and not just the privileged few. But to get there, we need to build pathways for Black women and other marginalized communities. We need their perspectives at the table, in leadership roles, and in positions where they can affect change.
