#NNPA BlackPress
Wells Fargo’s first Black American Board Foundation Member Shares His Perspective on the Post and Discusses Career Journey
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “There is a saying, do not talk about it, be about it,” said Otis Rolley, now the head of Philanthropy and Community Impact at the bank and president of the Wells Fargo Foundation. Rolley also counts as the first Black American elected to his position permanently by the Wells Fargo Foundation board, overseeing about $300 million in philanthropy, employee volunteerism and giving, and the company’s strategic vision on advancing social impact.
The post Wells Fargo’s first Black American Board Foundation Member Shares His Perspective on the Post and Discusses Career Journey first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Otis Rolley possessed a desire to drive positive change in local communities, a craving that led him to Wells Fargo, where he would lead social impact at the banking giant.
He said he approached the interview process with Wells’ CEO Charlie Scharf as a two-way conversation.
“There is a saying, do not talk about it, be about it,” said Rolley, now the head of Philanthropy and Community Impact at the bank and president of the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Rolley also counts as the first Black American elected to his position permanently by the Wells Fargo Foundation board, overseeing about $300 million in philanthropy, employee volunteerism and giving, and the company’s strategic vision on advancing social impact.
“I felt that CEO Charlie Scharf was being about it in a real and systemic way and that there was values alignment between myself and the company,” Rolley stated.
“The company knows it has more work to do. Changes aren’t going to happen overnight, but they can’t happen at all without dedicated human and financial resources and a commitment from the top.”
In a Q&A, Rolley said he believes change is happening and wanted to be on the journey with Wells Fargo.
Q- How did you become interested in taking on societal challenges?
Rolley: I was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ, a complex city in its own right but also close to New York City and Newark. So very early on, I had a front row seat to city life with all of its challenges and opportunities.
This urban upbringing stayed with me and ultimately informed my career path. An urban planner by training, I am fascinated by the obstacles and barriers each community faces when it comes to equitable access to economic opportunity and how to remove them.
I felt a need to take what I had seen and lived, and then learned in college, and put it into practice every day.
Q-What has been your career journey so far?
Rolley: I started my career with increasingly demanding roles in municipal government in Baltimore, advocating for better housing, small business and infrastructure across five administrations.
My journey eventually took me to the private sector where I joined the Rockefeller Foundation leading the North America team of the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative and then the U.S. Economic Equity and Opportunity Initiative.
My focus was public-private partnership nationwide and long-term investments for low wage workers and communities of color across the country.
I’ve also held other positions across the public and private sectors so I understand how both need to work together to tackle difficult societal issues.
Q-Why did you choose to join Wells Fargo?
Rolley: I want to drive positive change in local communities. I’ve been focused on that my entire career. Leading social impact at Wells Fargo is an opportunity to take my experience and vision and put it to work on a larger scale with more resources.
I honestly approached the interview process as a two-way conversation.
There is a saying, do not talk about it, be about it.
I felt that CEO Charlie Scharf was being about it in a real and systemic way and that there was values alignment between myself and the company.
The company knows it has more work to do.
Changes aren’t going to happen overnight, but they can’t happen at all without dedicated human and financial resources and a commitment from the top.
The head of diversity, equity and inclusion, at Wells Fargo is a Senior Executive Vice President for Diverse Segments, Representation and Inclusion.
They are a member of the Operating Committee, have a real budget, real staff, real integration with lines of business and corporate giving.
There are internal diverse affinity groups and strategic efforts underway with employees and policies, as well as external work. I believe change is happening and wanted to be on the journey with Wells Fargo.
Q-What is your vision for advancing Wells Fargo’s commitments to the Black community?
Rolley: I believe everything moves at the speed of trust. We have to learn from our past, not get lost in it. And if we fail again, we have to fail fast, learn fast and fix fast.
We also have an opportunity to better communicate, collaborate, and coordinate across the bank’s efforts to advance a more inclusive economy, and specifically to create more economic success for Black communities.
To do this, we have to be intentional with our resources, track and amplify impact with data. I’m encouraged by programs like Wells Fargo’s Open for Business Fund, a roughly $420 million small business recovery effort.
Eighty-five percent of small businesses served by Open for Business Fund grantees are Black, African American, Hispanic or other underserved entrepreneurs.
Our new $60 million effort called WORTH (Wealth Opportunities Restored Through Home Ownership) has a goal of 40,000 new homeowners of color by 2025.
This year, Wells Fargo launched Growing Diverse Housing Developers, a program aimed at providing capital to Black developers who are increasing housing supply.
New efforts like the Special Purpose Credit Program to underwrite refinance costs for Black customers and a $2 billion Inclusive Communities and Climate bond are underway. Ensuring these efforts reach deep into the community excites me.
There’s opportunity for real progress if we can track meaningful outcomes in peoples’ lives.
Q- Do you see racial equity as a standalone strategy or integrated into your work?
Rolley: I’ve worn glasses since the third grade. With lenses, you can take them on and off. I believe racial equity and advancing historically marginalized groups can’t be a lens, a criteria on a checklist. Racial equity should be centered in the work we do, and I intend to bring even more of that thinking as I lead at Wells Fargo.
There’s no question that we need to advance greater equity in this country.
There’s no question that policies and systems in place limit economic mobility for Black Americans, and other communities.
We need to not only remove barriers holding people back but bring intentionality and innovation to housing, small business, financial health and building a more inclusive economy. The more of us in roles to effect that type of change, the better.
The post Wells Fargo’s first Black American Board Foundation Member Shares His Perspective on the Post and Discusses Career Journey first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
#NNPA BlackPress
Trump Set to Sign Largest Cut to Medicaid After a Marathon Protest Speech by Leader Jeffries
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S.

By Lauren Burke
By a vote of 218 to 214, the GOP-controlled U.S. House passed President Trump’s massive budget and spending bill that will add $3.5 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The bill also represents the biggest cut in Medicare in history and is a threat to the health care coverage of over 15 million people. The spending in Trump’s signature legislation also opens the door to a second era of over-incarceration in the U.S. With $175 billion allocated in spending for immigration enforcement, the money for more police officers eclipsed the 2026 budget for the U.S. Marines, which is $57 billion. Almost all of the policy focus from the Trump Administration has focused on deporting immigrants of color from Mexico and Haiti.
The vote occurred as members were pressed to complete their work before the arbitrary deadline of the July 4 holiday set by President Trump. It also occurred after Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries took the House floor for over 8 hours in protest. Leader Jeffries broke the record in the U.S. House for the longest floor speech in history on the House floor. The Senate passed the bill days before and was tied at 50-50, with Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski saying that, “my hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.” There were no changes made to the Senate bill by the House. A series of overnight phone calls to Republicans voting against, not changes, was what won over enough Republicans to pass the legislation, even though it adds trillions to the debt. The Trump spending bill also cuts money to Pell grants.
“The Big Ugly Bill steals food out of the hands of starving children, steals medicine from the cabinets of cancer patients, and equips ICE with more funding and more weapons of war than the United States Marine Corps. Is there any question of who those agents will be going to war for, or who they will be going to war against? Beyond these sadistic provisions, Republicans just voted nearly unanimously to close urban and rural hospitals, cripple the child tax credit, and to top it all off, add $3.3 trillion to the ticking time bomb that is the federal deficit – all from a party that embarrassingly pretends to stand for fiscal responsibility and lowering costs,” wrote Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) in a statement on July 3.
“The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 17 million people will lose their health insurance, including over 322,000 Virginians. It will make college less affordable. Three million people will lose access to food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). And up to 16 million students could lose access to free school meals. The Republican bill does all of this to fund tax breaks for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations,” wrote Education and Workforce Committee ranking member Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) in a statement. The bill’s passage has prompted Democrats to start thinking about 2026 and the next election cycle. With the margins of victory in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate being so narrow, many are convinced that the balance of power and the question of millions being able to enjoy health care come down to only several thousand votes in congressional elections. But currently, Republicans controlled by the MAGA movement control all three branches of government. That reality was never made more stark and more clear than the last seven days of activity in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

#NNPA BlackPress
Congressional Black Caucus Challenges Target on Diversity
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent
Target is grappling with worsening financial and reputational fallout as the national selective buying and public education program launched by the Black Press of America and other national and local leaders continues to erode the retailer’s sales and foot traffic. But a recent meeting that the retailer intended to keep quiet between CEO Brian Cornell and members of the Congressional Black Caucus Diversity Task Force was publicly reported after the Black Press discovered the session, and the CBC later put Target on blast.
“The Congressional Black Caucus met with the leadership of the Target Corporation on Capitol Hill to directly address deep concerns about the impact of the company’s unconscionable decision to end a number of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke stated. “Like many of the coalition leaders and partner organizations that have chosen to boycott their stores across the country, we found that the explanations offered by the leadership of the Target Corporation fell woefully short of what our communities deserve and of the values of inclusion that Target once touted,” Congresswoman emphasized. “Black consumers contribute overwhelmingly to our economy and the Target Corporation’s bottom line. Our communities deserve to shop at businesses that publicly share our values without sacrificing our dignity. It is no longer acceptable to deliver promises to our communities in private without also demonstrating those values publicly.”
Lauren Burke, Capitol Hill correspondent for Black Press of America, was present when Target CEO Cornell and a contingent of Target officials arrived at the U.S. Capitol last month. “It’s always helpful to have meetings like this and get some candid feedback and continue to evolve our thinking,” Cornell told Burke as he exited the meeting. And walked down a long hallway in the Cannon House Office Building. “We look forward to follow-up conversations,” he stated. When asked if the issue of the ongoing boycott was discussed, Cornell’s response was, “That was not a big area of focus — we’re focused on running a great business each and every day. Take care of our teams. Take care of the guests who shop with us and do the right things in our communities.”
A national public education campaign on Target, spearheaded by Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the NNPA’s board of directors, and with other national African American leaders, has combined consumer education efforts with a call for selective buying. The NNPA is a trade association that represents the more than 220 African American-owned newspapers and media companies known as the Black Press of America, the voice of 50 million African Americans across the nation. The coalition has requested that Target restore and expand its stated commitment to do business with local community-owned businesses inclusive of the Black Press of America, and to significantly increase investment in Black-owned businesses and media, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU, Black-owned Banks, national Black Church denominations, and grassroots and local organizations committed to improving the quality of life of all Americans, and especially those from underserved communities. According to Target’s latest earnings report, net sales for the first quarter of 2025 fell 2.8 percent to $23.85 billion compared to the same period last year. Comparable store sales dropped 3.8 percent, and in-store foot traffic slid 5.7 percent.
Shares of Target have also struggled under the pressure. The company’s stock traded around $103.85 early Wednesday afternoon, down significantly from roughly $145 before the controversy escalated. Analysts note that Target has lost more than $12 billion in market value since the beginning of the year. “We will continue to inform and to mobilize Black consumers in every state in the United States,” Chavis said. “Target today has a profound opportunity to respond with respect and restorative commitment.”
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
It Just Got Even Better 2026 Toyota RAV4 AWD GR Sport Walkaround
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oak Temple Hill Hosts Interfaith Leaders from Across the Bay Area
-
Alameda County3 weeks ago
Council Approves Budget to Invest in Core City Services, Save Fire Stations, Invest in Economic Development
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of June 11 – 17, 2025
-
Activism3 weeks ago
LA to the Bay: Thousands Protest in Mission District Against Immigration Raids, Travel Bans
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Over 500 Join Interfaith Rally in Solidarity with Los Angeles Resistance to Trump Invasion
-
Activism3 weeks ago
OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill