Check Out Carlene Davis’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlene Davis.

Hi Carlene, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Q1Well, my origin story is that I’m a Cali girl with Southern Roots, only child progeny of Beatrice Prince and Carl Davis, literally the last stop on the journey of their great migration. The backstory of who I’ve become is shaped by my lived experience as a daughter and only child caregiver for Mommy and Daddy during my twenties and thirties (during the era of pagers, dial-up internet, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the L.A. Uprising). At that time, I had no model for what it meant to be a parent caregiver at a relatively young age. I was the first in my friendship circle to navigate caregiving and it definitely wasn’t a storyline on some of my favorite shows at the time like Living Single, Half & Half, and Girlfriends. After my parents became ancestors, I began to think more deeply about my own aging and future care needing journey. And what I absolutely knew to be true from my own experience is that I, along with most of us, would not be able to depend on the so-called systems of care in the United States. My fundamental belief is that my people must return to our ancestral tradition of honoring aging as a collective rites of passage and not an individual test of mettle. With that in mind, my friend Kiara and I formed Sistahs Aging with Grace & Elegance to empower Black women with knowledge, tools, resources, and supports to maintain optimal physical and mental well-being; strategically manage their financial means; age-in-place and community for as long as desired and possible; and to experience caring and connected family and social relationships. Our vision is to create a dynamic and connected network of Black women in their Fabulous 40s, Phenomenal 50s, Sensuous 60s, Sensational 70s, Elegant 80s, Naughty 90s, and beyond who are flourishing at every stage of the aging journey. Through Sistahs Aging with Grace & Elegance, I curate culturally affirming spaces for Black women to create and implement plans of action to enhance their quality of life and create intentional communities of support to live well, be well, and age well.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
First of all, I am so blessed that my parents imbued me with the strength, savvy, and smarts to see my way through what could have otherwise been a life altering tribulation. One struggle is that my parents did not have long-term care insurance and they weren’t eligible Medi-Cal. Looking back and knowing what I know now, my parents’ Medicare Advantage plan did not inform me of many benefits they may have been eligible for. We had to make do with my father’s small social security payment, my mother’s reduced retirement benefit, and whatever I could contribute to their out-of-pocket healthcare costs. I did my best to care for my parents in the home they had worked so hard for. Eventually, I could not provide my father with the level of care that he needed and had to make the difficult decision to transition him to a care facility. Although I was an only child caregiver, I definitely did not travel down that road alone. My therapist Francine gave me the space and tools to center my mental wellbeing and fortitude. I am deeply indebted to Alice Walker Duff, my supervisor at the time, who extended me both grace and flexibility to balance my work and family responsibilities and I am also thankful for my mentor Rene Topalian (R.I.P.) who was always their to guidance and support over dinner and dessert. My Auntie Doris would look after my parents (what’s now called respite care) so that I could engage in activities I enjoyed like hiking, going to plays, and traveling and still have the peace of mind to know that my parents were being taken care of. And, she humored me by not rolling her eyes at my detailed hour-by-hour to-do list. My mother’s transportation driver and his family looked after my parents during the day so that I didn’t have to choose between working and providing my parents with the care that they deserved. And, my friend Al provided literal heavy lifting (like support with transferring) and an emotional shoulder to lean on whenever I needed it, even though it would freak him out when I cried. I don’t even want to imagine what my story today would be if this village of support hadn’t been there to ease the responsibilities of my caregiving journey. I learned so much from that experience and hope that the lessons learned from my experience can be helpful to others. All in all, I am so grateful that I had the opportunity and honor to slow down and be present with my mother and father. I knew that I couldn’t take time we had together for granted–and I didn’t.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Q4There are many days where I’ll be walking around like the Mad Hatter wearing many different hats. In addition to Co-Founding Sistahs Aging with Grace & Elegance, I’m an organizational development coach and consultant, and the VP of Strategy and Evaluation with California Black Women’s Health Project (CABWHP). I am proud that I engage in mission-driven work focused on community impact and positive social change. I recently spearheaded an initiative that brings me great joy and fulfillment. In 2024, Sistahs Aging with Grace & Elegance, in partnership with CABWHP, received a philanthropic investment from the SCAN Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation to launch the Sankofa Elders Project, a community engagement that centers and empowers Black Elders to identify and advocate for community-defined solutions to address the disparities impacting their health and wellbeing. Every month, over fifty Black Elders and other community stakeholders come together develop answers to the following question, “How might we, together, use our wisdom, lived experiences and voices to craft a vision for the dignity, care, wellbeing and belonging of Black Elders in Los Angeles and beyond?” The Sankofa Elders Project Ambassadors have created a Black Eldering Bill of Rights to serve as a community manifesto and platform to advocate for equity in aging. And, alongside the leadership of Supervisor Holly Mitchell, the group galvanized to have the 3rd Saturday in May established as Black Elders Appreciation Day in Los Angeles County. We’re starting to plan for a big celebration for the 1st Annual Black Elders Appreciation Day that will take place on Saturday – May 16, 2026. Even though the funding for the project ends in June, I hope that I have laid the foundation for this powerful elevation and engagement of Black Elders to transform into a sustainable movement on its own. The Project Ambassadors are exploring forming the Sankofa Intergenerational Community Village — a self-organized, grassroots membership-based collective focused on providing social care, mutual aid, and community connections to support Black Elders with having the supports they need to age in their homes and community. I know that Mommy and Daddy would be proud.

What matters most to you?
Sadly, what I’m sitting with right now is the $1 trillion wealth extraction and tax cut to the richest 1% of Americans and the impact this will have on the health and wellbeing of Black Elders, families, and communities. There are times when I feel stuck in lamenting the reality that there is minimal public policy and even less sanity and political will to counteract and repair the systemic and institutional harm has been done. But just as often, I feel the spirits of Ida B. Wells, Ella Baker, and Shirley Chisholm lifting me up so I can move forward in a clarion call for collective action. So, what matters to me most is protecting my peace and staying focused on building intentional communities of care for myself and others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sagesistahs.org