Designing the next century of Black economic power
By Nashlie Sephus
The Bean Path Exec. Dir.
This year marks 100 years of Black history observances – a centennial moment that invites more than celebration. It invites strategy.
What began in 1926 as Negro History Week was designed to correct omission and ensure visibility. A century later, Black History Month stands as a national acknowledgment of contribution across every sector of American life. But at 100 years, the question is no longer whether Black excellence exists.
The question is whether Black communities are positioned to shape – and own – the economic systems defining the next century.
The United States is undergoing a structural economic shift. Technology now drives the fastest-growing sectors of the economy. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, computer and information technology occupations are projected to grow significantly faster than the national average over the next decade, with median annual wages more than double the median across all occupations. Artificial intelligence alone is expected to contribute trillions of dollars to the global economy in the coming years.
Yet participation in high-growth sectors remains uneven. Black owners and workers are underrepresented in many core technology occupations, and the racial wealth gap remains stark. Federal Reserve data continues to show that the median wealth of white households far exceeds that of Black households – a disparity shaped by generations of exclusion from asset-building systems.
Representation without ownership will not close that gap.
If the first 100 years of Black history observances centered recognition, the next 100 must center economic design.
Today, power is increasingly defined by:
Who owns platforms
Who controls data
Who builds scalable companies
Who holds equity in emerging industries
Who shapes the regulatory and policy environment around innovation
The digital economy is not a niche sector. It is the backbone of modern commerce, healthcare, education, and governance. Broadband access, cloud infrastructure, AI systems, cybersecurity, digital media platforms – these are the roads and bridges of the 21st century.
And like infrastructure of the past, access determines mobility.
The pandemic accelerated digital transformation across every industry. Remote work, online learning, e-commerce, telehealth, and automation moved from optional to essential. Workers without digital fluency faced steeper barriers to employment. Small businesses without digital infrastructure struggled to compete. Communities without broadband faced compounded economic strain.
This is not merely a technology issue. It is an economic positioning issue.
Digital literacy, AI fluency, and workforce-aligned certifications are no longer “add-ons” to economic development strategy. They are foundational. Regions that treat digital access and tech workforce development as core infrastructure will outpace those that do not.
At the same time, entrepreneurship is shifting. Black-owned businesses continue to be among the fastest-growing segments of new business creation in the United States. However, scaling those enterprises in a digital economy requires capital access, technical capacity, and integration into innovation ecosystems.
Without deliberate strategy, automation and AI risk widening existing disparities. With preparation, they offer scalable pathways to wealth creation and global market participation.
This is where the centennial of Black History observances becomes urgent.
Commemorations must evolve into construction.
Organizations like The Bean Path are working to equip communities with digital skills, entrepreneurship tools, certifications, and pathways into technology-driven careers. But this work cannot remain isolated to nonprofits or local initiatives. It requires coordinated national policy alignment:
Investment in digital workforce pipelines
Expansion of broadband infrastructure
Capital access for Black tech founders
Integration of AI literacy into education systems
Procurement policies that expand participation in innovation contracts
If the 20th century demanded access to institutions, the 21st century demands influence over innovation.
The commemoration of Black history at 100 is not a closing chapter. It is a pivot point.
We have documented contributions.
We have expanded representation.
We have elevated visibility.
Now we must design economic leverage.
The next century of Black history will be written not only through culture and protest, but through ownership, infrastructure, and scalable economic participation in the industries defining the global economy.
The question is no longer whether Black communities contribute to America’s future.
The question is whether the Black community will help design and benefit from it.
And that work begins now.
