Black America Needs More Oaklands

Revised: Thursday 2/11/16

From time to time during the last few decades governors, mayors, and corporate nabobs all over the country have launched initiatives that were supposed to develop local versions of Silicon Valley. So far the results have been disappointing. A few months ago (in late 2014) a group of black community leaders in New York City launched a promising initiative called "Silicon Harlem." Although I'm greatly impressed by the array of talent that has lined up to support this program, I'm discouraged by the explicit reference to Silicon Valley as a model. To my way of thinking, Oakland California provides a far more promising template for America's Black Communities.