A Project 2030 Thanksgiving: Gratitude, Growth, and the Work Ahead

Thanksgiving is more than a holiday.

For Black America, it’s a moment to slow down, gather with our friends and family, and remember two things that fuel every movement: gratitude and responsibility.

This year, as families come together across living rooms, church basements, and kitchen tables, Project 2030 invites us to reflect not only on what we’re thankful for—but on what we’re building.

Because gratitude with no action is comfort.

Gratitude with purpose is transformation.

Family members share laughter and joy around a festive Thanksgiving dinner table, filled with turkey, mashed potatoes, and other traditional delights.

What We’re Thankful For

1. The Strength of Our Communities

In every city—Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Baltimore, Atlanta—Black communities are carrying the weight and the hope of the future. We are thankful for the grandmothers who still tell the truth, the organizers who still knock on doors, and the block club captains who make sure everybody gets home safe.

2. Rising Momentum Across All Six Pillars

This year, we’ve seen undeniable progress:

• Economic Equity: A surge in Black entrepreneurship and historic gains in household wealth.

• Educational Equity: More families demanding fair funding, literacy access, and modern classrooms.

• Health Equity: Grassroots clinics, mental health advocates, and wellness movements growing city by city.

• Criminal Justice Reform: Local wins around transparency, alternatives to incarceration, and re-entry programs.

• Political Empowerment: Record voter education efforts and a new generation stepping into civic leadership.

• Technological Equity: More Black innovators, founders, and AI storytellers entering the digital space.

These aren’t just headlines—they’re signals of a rising wave.

3. The People Who Refuse to Give Up

We are thankful for the dreamers, the problem-solvers, the builders, the believers.

We’re thankful for the people who don’t wait for permission to change their block.

And we’re thankful for the readers and supporters of Project 2030—because movements are built one person, one household, one decision at a time.

What We Must Carry Forward

Thanksgiving reminds us that progress isn’t a miracle; it’s a choice.

A choice to love our communities with commitment.

A choice to fight for equity with courage.

A choice to invest in a future we may not personally see.

So as we pass the plates and break bread today, let’s also pass the torch:

• Ask your family: “What’s one thing we can build together before 2030?”

• Ask your block: “Who needs support right now?”

• Ask yourself: “What pillar will I commit to—economic, education, health, justice, political, or tech?”

Movements don’t grow by accident.

They grow because ordinary people choose extraordinary responsibility.

Community members gather with smiles and a sense of camaraderie at a neighborhood block club meeting.

The Thanksgiving Charge: From Gratitude to Action

This year, let Thanksgiving be your reset button.

Let it remind you:

• We have more power than we think, and more work than we admit.

• We don’t need a bailout—we are the stimulus package.

• We don’t need permission—we need participation.

Project 2030 is a blueprint, but you are the builders.

Every block club formed, every voter registered, every dollar spent with Black businesses, every child mentored, every neighbor protected—moves us closer to the America our ancestors prayed for.

Community members gather with smiles to participate in a local voting initiative, fostering engagement and unity.

With Gratitude and Purpose

From the Project 2030 team:

Thank you for believing in a future that honors our past and elevates our people.

Thank you for choosing courage over comfort.

Thank you for choosing community over isolation.

Thank you for choosing action over apathy.

We are grateful for you.

And we’re just getting started.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Building.

Happy 2030.

— Project 2030: The Agenda for Black America

Project 2030: From Block Clubs to a Black Renaissance: How Neighborhood Power Can Transform Cities

Project 2030: The Agenda For Black America Charts A New Blueprint for the Future of Our Communities

When we talk about changing the world, we usually jump straight to Washington, DC — the White House, Congress, policy debates, and presidential elections. But the truth is simple:

The most powerful political institution in America is not the Capitol.

It’s the block.

Your block. My block. The street where you live. The blocks where families make memories, where children grow, where businesses hustle, and where culture is born. Every major transformation in Black America — from the Civil Rights Movement to community banking to Black-owned business corridors — began in neighborhoods where people refused to wait for permission to lead.

If we want a Black Renaissance, it won’t be delivered from above. It will be built from the ground up.

And don’t get me wrong — no matter the racial makeup of a neighborhood, a Block Club will strengthen it. Every community thrives when people know one another, organize together, and take ownership of their streets. But in Black communities, the need is deeper, the opportunity loss has been greater, and the expectation of being underserved, undervalued, and undersupported is woven into our lived experience.

That truth is exactly why this article exists — because the work ahead of us is urgent, and the potential within our neighborhoods is powerful enough to change everything.

The Void: Why We’re Fighting Fires Instead of Designing the Future

We are a nation where civic engagement has become digital, not local. We’ll check the Nextdoor app before we knock on our actual next-door neighbor’s door. We follow national debates religiously, but many of us can’t name three or four people who live on our own block. We don’t know our alderman’s name, our city council member, our State Representative — yet we show up every four years for a presidential election while skipping the races that shape our daily life.

This digital-age disconnect has created a dangerous void. Decisions that profoundly shape our reality — public safety, housing policy, economic development, school funding — are being made without our hyper-local input.

We’re reacting instead of leading.We’re fighting fires instead of designing the future.

When We Removed the “Neighbor” From the “Hood”

Growing up in the 70s and 80s, there was a tangible pride in living in the neighborhood. We knew our streets had soul. We knew not to step on Mr. Buford’s grass, and we knew Mrs. Johnson might praise you — or scold you — before walking you back home to your mother. Our blocks had an identity. We played outside until the streetlights came on. We celebrated the style, the music, the rhythm, and the flavor that flowed from our neighborhoods into the world. It was a village in the truest sense.

But as time went on — shaped by changing economics, survival instincts, and shifting societal pressures — the narrative changed. We embraced the idea of the “hood,” but somewhere along the way, we slowly removed the “neighbor.”

We became residents rather than stakeholders, renters instead of owners.And that disconnect came at a devastating cost:

• Real Estate Value: Homes lost value because we stopped defending the collective aesthetic, safety, and pride of place.

• Education: Schools declined because we no longer saw every child on the block as “one of ours.”

• Commerce: Local businesses disappeared because we became consumers of convenience rather than investors in our own community ecosystem.

We didn’t just lose resources; we lost relationships, and in politics and business, relationship is currency.

When unity disappears, so does power.

The Solution: Block Clubs as Civic Power Plants

We need to rebrand the Block Club concept. For too long, we’ve viewed block clubs as social gatherings for complaining about parking spots or loud music. We need to elevate that vision. A well-organized block club is not a social circle; it is a micro-government.

When organized correctly, a block club serves as a localized Board of Directors that:

• Builds Trust & Communication: Creates a reliable network for information sharing that doesn’t rely on the news.

• Organizes Safety: Moves beyond policing to community-led safety and watchful eyes.

• Supports Small Business: Intentionally circulate dollars to entrepreneurs living on that very street.

• Holds Officials Accountable: A single voter is easy to ignore; a block captain representing 50 active voters commands the immediate attention of any Alderman or Council member.

This is democracy in its purest form: people determining what happens where they live. Multiply that organization across dozens of blocks, and you suddenly have a regional civic hub. Add data, digital tools, and strategic planning, and you have a path to self-determined Black prosperity. That is how you go from grassroots to greatness.

A National Movement: Project 2030 and the New Neighborhood Strategy

Project 2030: The Agenda For Black America is not just a book — it is a blueprint for reshaping how Black communities build power, block by block, city by city. At the heart of this movement is a simple idea: national transformation begins at the neighborhood level. We don’t need to wait for Congress to act or for billionaires to rescue us. We already possess the most valuable asset in America — community.

Project 2030 is building a model where:

• Every block has a captain

A trusted neighbor who organizes, communicates, and coordinates action on their street — the CEO of the block.

• Every captain feeds into a community hub

These hubs operate as centralized neighborhood leadership teams that share data, gather resources, and align efforts across dozens of blocks.

• Every hub drives a Six-Pillar action agenda:

1. Economic Equity: Homeownership, entrepreneurship, and local wealth building

2. Educational Equity: Strong schools, modern resources, and youth leadership pipelines

3. Health Equity: Access, prevention, and community-centered wellness

4. Criminal Justice Reform: Safer streets, restorative practices, and real accountability

5. Political Empowerment: Voter activation, policy influence, and civic literacy

6. Technological Equity: Digital access, AI literacy, and the future of work

This structure turns your block into part of something far greater.

Local plans become national pressure.

Local wins become national momentum.

This is how we shift from crisis management to nation-building — one street at a time.

Why Now? Because the Numbers Demand Action

We are living in a moment of enormous possibility — and enormous risk. The data makes the case for urgency:

• Nearly 70% of Black Americans live in just 16 metro areas.

This concentration means that coordinated action can create massive, measurable transformation in a single decade.

• A 2% increase in Black homeownership would generate billions in new Black wealth.

Not through charity. Not through policy. Through organization and opportunity.

• Local community ecosystems can add hundreds of thousands of jobs within years.

When neighborhoods buy from their own businesses, support their own youth, and leverage their own talent, the economic impact is immediate and generational.

We don’t have to wait for a bailout.

We are the stimulus package.

The New Black Renaissance Starts With One Question

Who are the 10 people on your block who care enough to act?

Not later. Not after the next election. Right now.

If you can identify 10 people, you can organize a block.

If you can organize a block, you can influence a neighborhood.

If you can influence a neighborhood, you can change a city.

And when you change cities — a people rises.

When neighbors organize, neighborhoods thrive.

When neighborhoods thrive, cities change.

When cities change, a people rise.

The Call to Action

If you do one thing after reading this, make it this:

1. Knock on three doors on your block this week.

2. Introduce yourself. Invite connection. Start the list of names that becomes the list of leaders.

3. Then take the next step:

Visit OurProject2030.com and explore how you can launch a block club in your community with simple tools, clear strategies, and national support.

Because the future we’re fighting for isn’t abstract.

It has a ZIP code. It has a backyard barbecue. It has a front porch. It has a block captain.

It starts with you. We don’t need permission to build power. We just need a plan — and a block.

With purpose and power,

Sean T. Long,

Author,

Project 2030: The Agenda For Black America

The Impact of Project 2030 and The Black Agenda and Your Personal Transformation

Every generation has its defining moment — a point where we must decide whether to merely survive or to build something that will outlive us. For me, that moment came during a meeting of the James E. Clyburn Leadership Institute. Surrounded by brilliant minds from across the country, we asked one simple but urgent question: What would it look like if Black America had a unified agenda — a plan that wasn’t just reactive, but strategic, visionary, and actionable?

That conversation birthed Project 2030: The Agenda for Black America.

This isn’t another book to sit on a shelf. It’s a blueprint for transformation — economic, educational, political, and cultural. It’s about turning pain into policy, and frustration into focused action. Project 2030 is designed to give us the framework, tools, and roadmap to address systemic inequities at scale — not with slogans, but with solutions.

Cover of "Project 2030: The Agenda For Black America" featuring a powerful dual portrait, symbolizing unity and strength. The title promises "A Blueprint for a Better Black America," with contributions from multiple authors.

Why It’s Important

Too often, our progress has been fragmented. One group fights for education, another for healthcare, another for justice reform — all worthy battles, but waged in isolation. Project 2030 connects those dots into six pillars:

• Economic Empowerment

• Educational Equity

• Health Justice

• Criminal Justice Reform

• Political Power

• Technological Equity.

These aren’t just concepts — they are the levers that determine how we live, work, and thrive.

A student smiles brightly while engaging in a Black History lesson, with topics like the Civil Rights Movement and Harlem Renaissance on the chalkboard, symbolizing a journey through African American heritage.

• Imagine a world where every young Black student has access to high-quality education that reflects their history and potential.

• Imagine a health system that doesn’t treat our pain as exaggeration.

• Imagine returning citizens who come home to opportunities, not obstacles.

• Imagine our dollars circulating within our own communities long enough to build wealth, not just pay bills.

That’s the promise of Project 2030.

A Personal Story

I have seen politicians come to our neighborhoods asking for our votes, only to deliver nothing to improve the lives of African Americans once in office. I have seen school systems teach square dancing instead of advanced science classes. I have seen Black-owned businesses underfunded, undermanaged, and watch the life savings of those business owners perish along with their dreams.

I have seen a 15-year-old sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, only to fight the legal system for his freedom after 25 years. I have seen families needing care for their elder loved ones, only to be underserved — or even denied — proper treatment because of their economic status. I have seen Black-owned tech firms receive little to no venture capital funding, struggling to survive in a system that celebrates innovation but ignores our innovators.

I have seen all this — and I refuse to accept it as normal.

That’s why Project 2030 exists: to break these cycles and replace them with systems of equity, access, and accountability.

How It Can Make a Difference for You

Project 2030 challenges each of us to move from awareness to action. Whether you’re an entrepreneur trying to scale your business, a parent advocating for your child’s education, or a voter demanding accountability — there’s a place for you in this movement.

Here’s how you can start:

• Invest in Black-owned businesses. Circulate our dollars and build collective wealth.

• Mentor and teach. Pass on the wisdom that schools and systems often fail to provide.

• Organize locally. Form block clubs, community hubs, and advocacy networks.

• Vote with purpose. Support candidates and policies aligned with our collective progress.

• Embrace technology. Don’t just consume it — learn it, build with it, own it.

Project 2030 isn’t just a call to action — it’s a covenant. A promise that if we build together, we rise together.

This Is Our Moment

Support this effort by buying Project 2030: The Agenda for Black America, sharing it, discussing it, and most importantly, implementing the ideals discussed in the book.

• You don’t need permission to start a Block Club to regain control of your community.

• You don’t need permission to start a Black Economic Agenda to support Black-owned and community-based businesses.

• You don’t need permission to start an Educational Hub to strengthen your local schools.

• You don’t need permission to start a Political PAC to advance the policies needed to evoke real change in your community.

Other communities have this — and more. It’s time we did too.

By 2030, we can redefine what power looks like in our communities. But it starts with you — your voice, your vote, your vision.

So don’t just read Project 2030: The Agenda for Black America. Delve deeply into its pages, absorbing the insights and knowledge it offers. Engage with the ideas presented, reflect on their implications, and consider how they resonate with your own experiences and aspirations.

Community organizers engage in a lively discussion about Project 2030, emphasizing collaboration and action, as a motivational poster reinforces their mission.

Live it. Share it. Build with it. This is not merely a call to action; it is an invitation to embody the principles and strategies outlined in the agenda. Take the time to implement these ideas in your daily life, whether that means advocating for social justice, supporting local Black-owned businesses, or participating in community initiatives that uplift and empower Black voices. Share the knowledge you gain with others in your community, fostering discussions and collaborations that can lead to meaningful change.

Because the future of Black America isn’t something we wait for — it’s something we create. It is a collective responsibility that requires active participation from each of us. By taking ownership of our narrative and working together, we can forge a path that leads to greater equity, opportunity, and prosperity. The vision laid out in Project 2030 is not just a set of goals to aspire to; it is a blueprint for action that demands our engagement and commitment. Together, we can shape a future that reflects our values, honors our history, and paves the way for generations to come.

-Sean T. Long

Author

Project 2030: The Agenda for Black America

Click Here to Purchase Project 2030 on Amazon