Announcing Racial Equity Here

Announcing Racial Equity Here

Racial Equity Here is our new initiative designed to tackle structural racism in U.S. cities.

People of color in U.S. cities disproportionately and historically lack access to opportunities – from education to employment – and many of the issues tied to racial inequality are within the power of city government to change. This face represents a tremendous opportunity that we must grasp, here and now.

Today, Living Cities is launching Racial Equity Here, an initiative that will support five U.S. cities committed to improving racial equity and advancing opportunity for all. Living Cities will work with the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a project of the Center for Social Inclusion and the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, to provide technical support and coaching to the first cohort of cities – Albuquerque, Austin, Grand Rapids, Louisville and Philadelphia – as they analyze how their operations impact people of color and devise actionable solutions.

Racial Equity Here resulted from a Living Cities task force, convened in response to Freddie Gray’s death, which brought together cross-sector leaders from our member institutions to create a new vehicle for action against the still-present effects of structural racism in U.S. cities.

Through Racial Equity Here, the cities will complete a racial equity assessment of their core government operations with an intentional focus on opportunity youth – adults and youth of color aged 16 to 24, who are dis-proportionally out of school or work.

Beyond the city-led initiatives, Racial Equity Here will focus on changing systems and shifting the national dialogue around racial equity.

From the inception of our country, government at the local, regional, state and federal level has played a role in creating and maintaining racial inequity. By understanding how municipal operations affect people of color and reproduce inequities, governments can begin to address them in transformative ways.

We look forward to sharing what we are learning through this new initiative. You can join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #RacialEquityHere.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest Articles

Supporting and Growing Overlooked Entrepreneurs with Urban Innovation Fund

In 2012, Julie Lein and Clara Brenner started Tumml, an urban ventures accelerator with a mission to empower entrepreneurs to solve urban problems. Through their experience with Tumml, Julie and Clara saw how investors can overlook certain types of entrepreneurs, mostly women and people of color. Building on their experience, Lein and Brenner founded Urban Innovation Fund (UIF) as first-time …

1863 Ventures Seeks to Close the ‘Friends and Family’ Financing Gap for New Majority Entrepreneurs

Melissa Bradley understands how barriers to capital for entrepreneurs of color hurt our economy and our communities. “There is clearly a cost if we do not invest in diversity,” said Bradley, founder of 1863 Ventures. “We miss out on great returns when we are not inclusive in our investment theses. There are opportunity costs for all of us.” She cites …

A Vision for Systemic Change in the Twin Cities: An Interview with Marcus Pope

JK:We’re celebrating your new role as President of Youthprise! Can you tell us a bit about Youthprise? MP: I’ll start by sharing Youthprise’s mission, which is to increase equity with and for Minnesota’s Indigenous, low income, and racially diverse youth. We take the “with and for” very seriously; half of our board members are young people between the ages of …

The Legacy of Wealth Inequities in the Brown and Flynn Families: A Hypothetical Exploration

The first post in a two-part series explores the potential of capital to undo the historical legacy of inequities. Race is a complex issue that continues to drive many of the socioeconomic outcomes in the US. For example, if you are a person of color born in the United States, your zip code is more of a predictor of your …

Get Updates

We want to stay in touch with you! Sign up for our email list to receive updates on the progress we’re making with our network of partners, as well as helpful resources and blog posts.

Name