2025: Holding the Center While Building the Future

2025: Holding the Center While Building the Future

As we close out 2025, I have spent time reflecting on the dual realities that shaped this year: extraordinary moments of affirmation and equally extraordinary moments of disruption. This was a year that demanded clarity of purpose, steadiness of leadership, and an unshakable belief in what is still possible—even when the ground beneath us felt unstable.

Moments Worth Celebrating

This year brought milestones that affirmed both the work and the values behind it.

Being named Small Businessperson of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce was a deeply meaningful honor. I received it not as an individual achievement alone, but as recognition of a broader ecosystem—one built with Black women entrepreneurs, community partners, and institutions that believe local economies thrive when those closest to the challenges are resourced to lead. It was a moment to pause and acknowledge that community-rooted leadership matters, and that persistence is visible.

2025 also marked the completion of the third year of the BlackBone Project. What began as a response to the isolation and undercapitalization faced by Black women founders has grown into a living, breathing network of entrepreneurs who are building businesses, acquiring land, scaling operations, and—most importantly—supporting one another through the realities of ownership. Three years in, the lesson is clear: when women are given access to community, capital, and capacity, they do not simply survive—they transform ecosystems.

We also celebrated continued momentum across our place-based efforts. Sycamore & Oak completed another year as a hub for commerce, culture, and connection. Community College Preparatory Academy opened a powerful new adult education space, reinforcing the truth that it is never too late to invest in potential. And the Soul of the City Business Improvement District advanced from vision toward implementation, reflecting years of organizing and belief in shared stewardship.

Each of these moments served as reminders that progress is rarely linear—but it is cumulative.

The Challenges We Faced

At the same time, 2025 unfolded against the backdrop of a city under strain.

Washington, D.C. experienced what can only be described as an occupied city—with renewed political attacks that undermined Home Rule, destabilized governance, and created uncertainty for residents and institutions alike. The ripple effects were real: stalled initiatives, shaken morale, and communities once again forced to defend their right to self-determination.

This year was further marked by mass resignations of political leadership, including the departure of several Black women leaders whose presence represented both competence and conscience in public service. The exits of leaders like 3-term Mayor Muriel Bowser, At-Large CouncilmemberAnita Bonds, and Police ChiefPamela A. Smithwere not isolated events. They reflected the toll exacted by relentless scrutiny, politicized attacks, and the disproportionate burden placed on Black women to lead through chaos while absorbing its consequences.

These losses mattered. Not simply because of who left, but because of what their leadership represented: stability, institutional memory, and an unwavering commitment to public service in an increasingly hostile environment.

Lessons Carried Forward

The defining lesson of 2025 is this: leadership is not only about advancing vision—it is about holding the center when forces push hard at the margins.

We learned that resilience must be practiced, not presumed. That coalition-building is not optional in moments of uncertainty—it is essential. And that protecting our leaders, our institutions, and our communities requires intentionality, courage, and care.

This year reminded us that rest is not retreat, that accountability strengthens—not weakens—movements, and that hope must be paired with infrastructure if it is to endure.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the year ahead, I do so with gratitude for every person who stayed engaged, spoke truth, showed up, and refused to abandon the work when it became uncomfortable.

The path forward will continue to require discipline, imagination, and collective effort. But if 2025 taught us anything, it is that even in the midst of disruption, we can still build. We can still celebrate. And we can still choose to shape a future rooted in equity, dignity, and shared prosperity.

Thank you for walking this journey with me. The work continues—and so does the promise.

As we step into a new year, we do so anchored in the knowledge that our communities have never been built on ease, but on possibility. Hope is not a passive sentiment—it is a discipline we practice through investment, collaboration, and care for one another. Prosperity, when pursued with intention, becomes more than economic gain; it becomes stability for families, opportunity for entrepreneurs, and dignity for every neighbor who calls this place home. And new beginnings are already unfolding—not because conditions are perfect, but because we are prepared. With clarity, courage, and collective resolve, we move forward committed to shaping communities where growth is shared, leadership is protected, and the future is not merely anticipated, but actively created—together

— Monica Ray