More than six months ago, the Richmond City Council unanimously approved spending $1.5 million to launch its Black Resiliency Project, a study of Black community health and wellness, but so far some of the expected milestones have not been met, and there are concerns the work may be redundant.
When council member Doria Robinson presented the proposal on June 17, her passion was clear. She introduced herself as a third-generation Richmond resident and said, “Over the last 51 years of my life, what I’ve seen is an explicit lack of investment in the Black community in Richmond.”
Robinson cited a lack of housing assistance, a lack of investment in schools, and the burden of chronic disease on African-American Richmond residents.
The city plans to hire a consultant to create a “State of Black Richmond” report. Once the problems are defined, most of the money will be given to community-based organizations and others that support the city’s Black community.
However, comments made at the June meeting foreshadowed current concerns about the project. Council members Soheila Bana and Jamelia Brown questioned whether the report would be duplicative. While Brown said she “appreciate[s] and affirm[s] the spirit and intention behind this proposal,” she strongly believes that more research is unnecessary.
Brown pointed to a report released by Contra Costa County last April from Ceres Policy Research that compiled the experience of Black residents. The county-commissioned report has set the stage for the new African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub, a countywide wellness and support network for these vulnerable residents.
Brown said of the Ceres Policy Research report, “I believe it should and can be adapted for Richmond instead of duplicating costly studies.”
“I have no problem with that $1 million or more being given to improve things,” said Bana. “My problem with this [agenda item] is that the study portion is not clear.”
“It has very good intentions but not clear specifications,” she said.
Richmondside reached out to Brown, Bana, and Robinson for comment for this article but they didn’t respond as of publication time.
County-commissioned report already details gaps in Black health care, especially for mothers and babies
The Ceres Policy Research report is comprehensive, compiling data from 4,074 community survey responses, 16 listening sessions and stakeholder interviews about the experience of the Black community countywide.
The report offers general statistics about African-Americans in Contra Costa County and highlights specific concerns from Richmond residents.
The report states that 60% of survey respondents say they had trouble accessing Black health care providers, especially in maternal health, primary care, and mental health in Contra Costa County.
Race concordance, meaning that the physician and the patient are the same race, has been known to improve health outcomes for patients. A 2023 study published in Jama Network Open concluded that a higher percentage of Black primary care doctors in a county led to longer lifespans of its Black residents.
“”
“I had to beg for pain meds after my C-section. The nurse kept telling me I was fine.”
— A Richmond mother quoted in county-commissioned Black health study
Race concordance is especially important for maternal health. The Ceres Policy Research report states that from 2014 to 2017 “Black perinatal health disparities in Contra Costa County included significantly higher rates of fetal deaths (11.3%), infant deaths (9.4%), premature births (10.5%), low birth weight (9.8%), and severe maternal morbidities,” and that “these rates were two to three times higher than those of white women.”
While disparities have improved, most recent data from 2021 to 2023 shows that rates of poor health outcomes for black infants and mothers are still typically two times higher than for white infants and mothers.
In the Ceres Policy Research report, Black mothers shared their experiences of medical care delays and feeling like their team did not believe their pain. The report states, “I had to beg for pain meds after my C-section,” a Richmond mother said. “The nurse kept telling me I was fine.”
East Richmond resident Oniana Jahmora agrees. She is a program assistant and doula at Coco Doula, a community-based program serving Black women in Contra Costa County. Doulas are non-clinical support people who help mothers during pregnancy, delivery, and after birth, Jahmora said.
The 31-year-old is a mother of two young children and is pregnant with her third so she feels like she has unique insights into the challenges and joys her clients face.
As a doula serving Black moms, she said she has found “ a crazy lack of cultural competency with care and just outright racism and microaggressions.” She is grateful she can “[ step] in to be a voice for the client when they’re not able to speak up for themselves.”
Comments from Richmond residents in the Ceres Policy Research report also highlighted disparities more acutely felt by Black Richmond residents compared to Black residents in Contra Costa County in general.
Richmond and neighboring areas of San Pablo and El Cerrito fall into District 1 of the county, where 44% of survey respondents felt that there is a lack of access to health care services, compared to 41% of survey respondents countywide. Forty-two percent of survey respondents from District 1 felt that there was a lack of access to mental health resources, compared to 38% of survey respondents from across the county.
What’s next for Richmond’s Black Resiliency Project?
Several steps remain before Richmond’s Black Resiliency Project moves forward.
The council was scheduled Tuesday to adopt a resolution that would create an advisory committee (CAC) for the project but had to postpone the decision due to other business.
Once the committee is created, the Black Resiliency Project encourages Richmond residents, youths ages 15 to 24 and community organizers to apply. A link to the application can be found on the project website.
The CAC will eventually hire the consultant to conduct the research and write the report.
The plan to distribute money to community groups wouldn’t be developed until after that report is received and discussed by stakeholders, including the city council.
It is unclear how long this process will take.
When Richmondside inquired about the rate of progress, Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez said in a written statement, “We did not meet the original three-month [Request For Proposal] benchmark, and we’ll own that, but ultimately it was the right call. We needed to build the oversight structure first, so the work is accountable to the community and aligned with the fund’s intent.”
Community organizations are eager for funds to be distributed
Community organizations are eager for the funds to be distributed. One such organization is Safe Organized Spaces (SOS) Richmond, which provides unhoused individuals with emergency services, housing, and employment.
Homelessness disproportionately affects Black Richmonders. According to the city’s Homelessness Strategic Plan, “In Richmond, although people who identify as Black/African American make up 18% of the general population, they make up 57% of the population experiencing homelessness.”
SOS Richmond is currently slated to receive $1.2 million in city funding in fiscal year 2026.
Daniel Barth, executive director, said that he would use funds from the Black Resiliency Project to increase hours and staffing at The Warm Hand Wellness Center. Unhoused people can access services and find peer companionship there.
Jahmora also has ideas on how to spend potential funds from the Black Resiliency Project. “ Postpartum meal delivery service, childcare, maybe some kind of stipend for a longer maternity leave,” are just some of the things she wishes could be funded.
But her dreams for the future are even bigger than that. She would love to see a birthing center in Richmond, where moms could give birth close to home, get healthy food, and have a safe space.
“I really like talking about the visions for the future,” said Jahmora. She, like Barth, is grateful for the funding they have but eager for more to increase services for all clients in Richmond.
Is the research being done on senior African-Americans living in Richmond to understand the rate of Parkinson’s in this community.
SOS is great at absorbing money but the help and programs are an illusion. In the last two years they all drive nicer cars, a win for Daniel. To allegedly access employment one must volunteer gathering garbage for “at least a year”. Pleading for information on actual employment and housing is futile, seemingly because it does not exist.