Wealth Building as a Tool for an Equitable Rochester

Lomax Campbell

Wealth Building as a Tool for an Equitable Rochester

Lomax Campbell

From local government officials to philanthropic stakeholders to Living Cities staff, this story is one in a series that demonstrates the impact Living Cities has across the U.S. — connecting individuals and highlighting successful initiatives.

Dr. Lomax R. Campbell

Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Wealth Building in the City of Rochester, New York

I’ve grown into my role as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Community Wealth Building in the City of Rochester with Living Cities by my side. Having an Office of Community Wealth Building isn’t common in city government, we are doing something that is counter-cultural to the system by embedding equity across all of our work here in Rochester.

My team is responsible for collaborating with a diverse array of community partners to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem that fosters communal wealth and helps our citizens thrive. By having the opportunity to be a part of Living Cities’ fifth City Accelerator cohort, I was able to grow and learn alongside other city government officials and share in experiences and successes. Thanks to City Accelerator, I also attended the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond’s Undoing Racism® Community Organizing workshop, which provides framing that helps connect city leaders to the framework that is required to undo structural and systemic racism.

We’re trying to shift entire cultures of multiple organizations across communities — that requires significant trust.

We’re trying to shift entire cultures of multiple organizations across communities — that requires significant trust. And trust is gained by proving that progress is happening toward community goals, by having externally funded initiatives that are less susceptible to political influence and through nimble initiatives that can show progress within a short period of time.

Together, we’re learning to be agents of change within city government and to build competencies and better understand how to leverage our power to shift systemic inequities.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Latest Articles

How 2020’s “Year of Reckoning” Shaped What Comes Next for Closing the Gaps

In 2020, Living Cities launched the  “Closing the Gaps” Network, paired with a cohort of cities participating in a “Year of Reckoning” initiative. This foundational year brought together leadership in six cities–Austin, Albuquerque, Memphis, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester–to interrogate how racism has shaped their cities, to organize together to implement policies and practices that would build wealth for BIPOC …

Wealth Beyond Survival

People of color are reported to be on track to become the country’s new majority by 2045. Knowing this, government leaders, private investors and philanthropic funders need to have a more comprehensive understanding of the challenge ahead: For people of color, starting a business, though a risky endeavor–especially compared to the experience of white entrepreneurs–is only the beginning of the …

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 …

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