Sacramento’s Indivisible collective tackles the money problem in the black community

September 17, Indivisible Meeting

In February of 2011, Kevin Johnson was in the second part of his first term as the first black mayor of Sacramento.  This is a time when politicians often ask their political advisors questions about their prospects for re-election or seeking higher office.  Instead, Mayor Johnson asked an uncomfortable question about his effectiveness, not of his advisors, but of his constituency.   That question he posed to black Sacramentans was this: Is your life any better because I’m the mayor?  The answer—by and large—was a resounding “no”.  And so, the Indivisible collective was born.  Started as a few concerned citizens, the group grew to now over 200 monthly attendees dedicated to providing a presence (manpower) and buy in (financial backing) to issues related to improving the overall status of black Sacramentans. 

The framework Indivisible employed to organize itself was to amass people and resources to address three primary issues: Education, Economics and Politics.  For almost two years, the monthly meetings involved a community speaker, the mayor’s address, and some updates on two related groups, STAND UP and PAC Fifteen.  STAND UP is an education nonprofit working for teacher quality, accountability, school choice, parent engagement and effective policy and PAC Fifteen is a super political action committee dedicated to raising funds to support the campaigns of candidates for public service that will represent the best interests of the black community.    By most standards, the collective was impressively successful in such a short time.  STAND UP launched the Sacramento Reads program to improve elementary school literacy and the Freedom Writer’s Institute.  PAC Fifteen raised $50,000, thanks to a pro bono fundraiser with Roland Martin in May 2012, the money from which was helpful in getting Allen Wayne Warren elected to Sacramento City Council in District 2. 

As a product of Sacramento’s Oak Park community, this cause is very personal for Mayor Johnson.  However, he’s been careful not to alienate important supporters outside of the black community.  He constantly reminds Indivisible of our important allies and that being “pro black” does not mean being “anti-anyone else,” but that we need to change the trend that black people are “in last place for [indicators that measure] everything good and first place for everything bad.”  I can quote him on this because it is a staple part of his monthly address.  And, herein lies the inevitable critique; while the point cannot be reiterated enough, over time as I looked at the faces of the audience members, it began to feel as if he was preaching redemption to the converted, specifically those attending their fourth service of the day because they also sing in the choir. 

Month after month a growing number of community members attended the meetings and brought new people with them.  In fact, by September 2012, almost 700 people had attended at least one Indivisible meeting.   However, the group had difficulty month after month reaching the Mayor’s goal of having 200 people fill The Guild Theatre in Oak Park during the monthly meetings.  Part of the waning enthusiasm was that the details about how Indivisible was going to address the three priority areas seemed to lack direction.   The goal of simply “showing up” was not enough to keep a largely professional crowd coming each month, despite their high hopes for the ambitious Mayor and his newly formed group.  And so, the chorus of voices began to say, “I’m on the email list and I’ll come back when there’s something for me to do.” 

Coincidentally, after a few meetings with lower attendance than previously recorded, renewed enthusiasm for the group began when Indivisible sponsored a private viewing of “Won’t Back Down” in October.  Needless to say, a very spirited public conversation took place after the movie surrounding its controversial theme: the (false) dichotomy that teacher interests (read: unions) and child interests (read: achievement) are inherently at odds.  Despite a groundswell of interest in education, another key area began to have a little more weight in the mayor’s monthly address: economics.  Beginning with sharing the Urban League state of black America in the late summer, Mayor Johnson began to share information about generational poverty and generational wealth, the spending power of the black community, and the need for the restoration of community trust to make a collective impact.   And so, on December 17, he invited Melody Hobson, 43, President of Ariel Investments and newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors for DreamWorks, to speak on this topic.

To say her remarks were epic is an understatement.  Her rags to riches story inspires a naïve belief in the American Dream…. and possibly even Santa Claus, because if this woman can achieve the success she has, there’s nothing that anyone with willpower can’t do.  But therein lies the point, I think.  It actually isn’t magic.  Nor is it luck or happenstance.  Her story is remarkable in how much it relies on basic common sense and everyday experience.  A good example of this is illustrated in the story of the impetus for her life’s work.  Watching her mother squander money on unimportant things like Easter dresses when the light bill hadn’t been paid, made Melody determined to make different decisions and understand how money works.  Or, stated how your mother would say it, she learned early on that “doing the same thing (we’ve) always done gets us the same thing (we’ve) always gotten.”

Melody’s remarks were part inspirational speaker, part sister-friend, and part financial guru, precisely the thing that we need to cultivate in our community.  Her remarks taught the value of investing, especially in industries you know well, because your familiarity and expertise makes the process more personable and understandable. 

She had a special message to the women about the confidence of our voices. She spoke to the women about being unafraid to be irreverent and admonishing for asking for permission and undermining our own credibility by being afraid to speak first. Most importantly though, she reflected on a great quote by Judith Collins, “As women we’re raised to have rescue fantasies, but I’m here to tell you: no one is coming.”  Melody shared this quote in a women’s only reception before the Indivisible meeting, so the mayor made the men say, “We’re coming” at the beginning of the meeting without understanding the context!  Though we all got a kick out of the “response” without the “call”, she later expanded this comment not just to the women, but to the entire black community.  “We need to behave as if no one is coming because they’re not.  It is up to us to be able to leave an inheritance for our grandchildren.”  To that end she gave five reasons that the black community is underappreciating financial opportunities: 1) lack of knowledge, 2) misinformation, 3) lack of trust, 4) lack of exposure, and 5) financial conservatism.  The latter term she defined as the shortsightedness of taking extremely conservative risks which result in the black community unwittingly sacrificing wealth. 

Polling audience members in the packed house at The Guild, people left feeling inspired and empowered.  It was a great launch event for a stronger focus on economics in 2013.  After the meeting, David DeLuz, President of the Greater Sacramento Urban League, said he was impressed with Melody and the direction that Indivisible is taking as the mayor continues to unfold the plan of action for 2013. The Indivisible vision is in alignment with the work the Urban League is already doing to help providing housing and financial education.   “I just want to encourage people to attend the meetings. I think it's important, and it gives us an opportunity not only to set the agenda, but also act upon it. Indivisible lets us focus on a few basic things, and get them done. It gives us a place to learn, act, and evaluate our impact.”  

The next Indivisible meeting takes place Monday, January 28 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Guild Theatre, 2828 35th Street, Sacramento.

-Flojaune Griffin