ORLANDO, Fla. — It’s a change of guard. But, what should change for Black Americans in the United States as a new U.S, president takes charge? 

“We want justice for all, as it relates to social equity, as it relates to health, as it relates to education,” began Rich Black, who runs Onyx Magazine. 

Central Florida leaders, community organizers, and small business owners met in the publication’s Orlando headquarters to discuss realities, hopes and expectations for the incoming Biden administration.

Their musings and priorities were not monolithic but diverse — from business-focused help and food insecurity issues, to tackling outstanding bigger picture topics, such as inequities in all facets of society. 

“The Black agenda has been moved to the back, I’m not afraid to say it,”  Orlando District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill said.

Education and retraining should be top agenda items, she said.

“Before we can even say Black Lives Matter, we have to make sure that Black wealth matters."

For years, Father Charles Myers, who is white, has pastored his predominantly Black church, Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist.

He said the pandemic has peeled the lid off existing hurt that runs deep in his congregation and the Biden administration should focus on unemployment issues to get people back on their feet. 

“People have used the food pantry who have never used it before, and I think what this pandemic exposed was the working poor,” he said, adding he would welcome the incoming administration meeting with faith leaders. 

The owner of a barbershop and Onyx’s Black called for more help for Black businesses.

“The people at the top, from a federal level, have to understand that Black business owners like myself and many others, we don’t ask for stuff we don’t need,” said J. Henry, the owner of a barbershop in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood. 

“Hopefully, in the Biden administration, there will be a fund set aside for minority businesses,” Henry said. 

Paula Cox, who owns food staple spot P&D Soul Food Kitchen along with her husband, followed up on that theme.

“I want the new administration to focus more on Black businesses and helping them grow,” Cox said. 

Amid the pandemic, personal protection program (PPP) funds have helped the restaurant to stay afloat. But Cox said she wants something more significant and lasting than money: mentoring programs to get quality applicants. She has several open positions now and has been struggling to hire.

Resident Eugene Leach wants the focus to be on the health of a growing population in the United States — seniors. He is working on a proposal to bring water aerobics to a nearby recreation center, hoping to encourage others to move to improve longevity. 

But, above all else, as community organizer David Hodges pointed out, something bigger needs to be addressed. 

“The system does exactly what it’s meant to do. It’s not broken; it’s humming along fine,” he said. 

Without true equality — changes to the system and how Americans view one another — minor life improvements or initiatives aimed at elevating the Black community become secondary appeasements. 

“When you ask me what I want of the Biden administration, I have no doubt we’ll get back to where we were. The point is — that’s not where we want to be. Because where we were wasn't a good place anyway,” Hodges said. “The Biden administration will get in, and we should be as aggressive as we were before. No letup."