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Cantrell: Black life, leadership and power in Silicon Valley - San José Spotlight

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There’s a particular ache familiar to many Black residents in San Jose and across Silicon Valley: the uneasy realization that when you enter a room, you will likely be the only one who looks like you, while your story fades into the background as others take center stage. For decades, as new communities have thrived in the world’s tech capital, the deep roots, culture and resilience of Black life in the South Bay too often go unseen. With few Black voices in our political chambers, boards and commissions, and among county leadership, it is not just a missed opportunity — it’s a visible marker of deliberate and historic disenfranchisement. We’re told to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,” but few appreciate how tattered our boots have become and that we have worn the souls of them off from decades spent climbing steep hills against all odds. Representation is more than symbolism — it’s the very infrastructure of progress. When our names aren’t uttered, our needs and our existence are

Columns by Chuck Cantrell October 16, 2025 October 16, 2025 Jahmal Williams in the San Jose City Council chambers during interviews for appointing an interim councilmember to represent District 3 on Jan. 28, 2025. File photo. Don't miss a story. Get San José Spotlight headlines delivered to your inbox. There’s a particular ache familiar to many Black residents in San Jose and across Silicon Valley: the uneasy realization that when you enter a room, you will likely be the only one who looks like you, while your story fades into the background as others take center stage. For decades, as new com

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