Gilchrist and Benson to headline Michigan Black Summit
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (L) and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (R) | Andrew Roth photos
Following an election year where Republicans and Democrats heavily targeted Black Michigan voters, the Michigan Black Summit will focus on the influence the community has in Michigan.
'We have representation, we have power, but we have not gathered our power together to be a force in the state of Michigan,' said Trenton Bowens, founder of the summit.
This is the third year the conference has been held and it's set for Feb. 7 and 8 in Benton Harbor. The event boasts dozens of speakers including Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
The theme of the summit taking place at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center is 'Black leadership, the Black vote, and the Black dollar.'
Black Michiganders are a highly sought after group in close elections, but Bowens said that too often candidates end their conversations with Black voters at the ballot box instead of delivering for the community.
'Black constituents in the state of Michigan … certain political parties are the first to run to our community, begging for your vote. But when it becomes a Black issue, they're last,' Bowens said.
Although she lost the 2024 presidential election to President Donald Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign marked a moment of excitement for many Black voters, Bowens said, noting Michigan has never had a Black U.S. senator and currently has only one African-American member of Congress.
Without Black representation in elected offices, critical issues like Detroit, a majority Black city, having some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country, are not being considered in rooms where decisions are made, Bowens said.
And the power of Black women in local communities and at the state-level will be a large part of the conversation at the summit, Bowens said, with state Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) and Kalamazoo County Commissioner Monteze Morales scheduled to speak on being in positions of leadership as Black women.
'Black Michiganians were fired up. We may not have won the president's race, but it just gave us more fuel to demand change on a local level and get active,' Bowens said.
As companies like Walmart, McDonald's and Target, roll back some of their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, it's important for Black Michiganders to realize that ballots aren't the only vote they have, Bowens said. The power of Black dollar, organizing to financially back companies, candidates and initiatives that work to strengthen their community will take centerstage at the summit.
Registration for the event has been through the roof, Bowen said, with the event expected to have 150 attendees. Anyone is welcome, he added, as issues that affect the Black community affect neighbors all over Michigan.
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