Another missed opportunity for racial equity at the Legislature

By Brett Grant, Andrea Ferstan and Marie Ellis
(This op-ed first appeared in MinnPost.)

Recently, we learned that a significant effort to advance racial equity at the Minnesota Legislature received a serious blow. In a state that has long been defined by its paradox of being progressive yet having some of the worst racial and economic disparities in the nation; in a state that other states across the nation and other countries throughout the world are watching after witnessing the murder of George Floyd; in a state that is about to receive billions of dollars in federal (American Rescue Plan) funding as a result of the pandemic, the Legislature somehow still found a way to de-prioritize the implementation of a working group consisting of legislators and community members to design and propose a method for identifying the racial equity impacts of legislation.

A process to determine equity impacts

A number of partners — including the Center for Economic Inclusion, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Voices for Racial Justice, and the Racial Equity and Joy Coalition — worked tirelessly throughout the 2021 legislative session to ensure that a process for determining the racial equity impacts of legislation would be institutionalized at the Legislature. Our recommendation was to institute racial equity impact notes as a means for ensuring responsive policies and investments based on consistent analysis designed and informed by community and represented in Voices for Racial Justice’s Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA). “REIA doesn’t replace economic cost/benefit analysis but strengthens our understanding of policy impacts on the public,” notes Vayong Moua, Director of Health Equity Advocacy at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.

A Racial Equity Impact Note is similar to a Fiscal Note and an Environmental Impact Note in that it asks legislators to engage in a process of analysis to determine the impacts of legislation. Ideally, this process would happen as bills are being designed, implemented, and evaluated. Whereas Fiscal Notes focus on the economic impacts of legislation and Environmental Notes examine the environmental impacts of legislation, Racial Equity Impact Notes examine the racial equity impacts of legislation. A unique feature of Racial Equity Impact Notes is that they demand that legislators work in collaboration with communities that are most impacted by racial inequities and disparities in the analysis.

Provision called for a working group

The specific feature of our bill which, until recently, was making its way through House and Senate conference committees, was a provision which called for a working group to be formed consisting of community members and legislators throughout the state that would design a method or framework to analyze the racial equity impacts of legislation within the timeline of the legislative session. The legislative session is fast-paced, with different deadlines for proposing legislation. If deadlines are missed, the risk of not having a proposed bill considered by House and Senate committees is high. A significant challenge of the working group was to figure out a way to conduct a meaningful process of identifying the racial equity impacts of legislation within this timeline.

For example, the Racial Equity Impact Assessment asks five questions: (1) Who is most impacted and how will those communities be engaged in the analysis? This question requires time to build culturally informed engagement and trust in impacted communities. One can imagine how challenging it would be to figure out a process here that would work within the legislative timeline. Question two of the assessment asks what disparity or inequity is being addressed? Question three asks how the proposed policy would change the situation? Question four asks are there potential negative impacts and if so, how would the policy adjust to achieve a racially equitable outcome? And question five asks can the policy be sustainably successful in terms of adequate funding, implementation strategies, and accountability mechanisms? Meaningful answers to these questions depend on the relationships and trust that is built when engaging with impacted communities.

Five questions: only a starting point

“Each question of the racial equity impact assessment begets more questions,” notes Julia Freeman, who is the Director of Community Engagement at Voices for Racial Justice. Julia’s point is insightful in that it recognizes that the five questions of the racial equity impact assessment are only a starting point that lead to more questions, more analysis, and deeper reflections. In other words, the racial equity impact assessment is a tool that welcomes complexity and nuance in the process of determining the racial equity impacts of legislation. Most important, it is a tool that asks for and welcomes collaboration.

We often say that the racial equity impact assessment is a tool that defines racial equity as a process of collaboration. We know this to be true based on our experience using the tool this session with community members and legislators to think about the racial equity implications of the state budget and the thoughtful suggestions and recommendations that emerged from those conversations. It is this process of collaboration that the Legislature rejected.

Why? This is what so many of us are asking. Our bill doesn’t say that all legislation has to have a Racial Equity Impact Note, though that would be ideal. What we proposed is that the Legislature support a working group that would come before the Legislature next session to share our findings and ask for approval of a process designed to assess the racial equity impacts of legislation. If Minnesota truly desires to close the educational opportunity gap and ensure the success of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander and People of Color (BIPOC) students, the legislation focused on education equity has to go through a racial equity impact assessment. Similarly, all fiscal and budget allocations by the state need to be done with a racial equity lens. This can be done if the Racial Equity Impact Assessment tool is institutionalized at the Legislature.

Commitment needed

We need a commitment from the entire Legislature that racial equity is a top priority. Rejecting the racial equity working group illustrates that too many elected officials do not take racial equity seriously. It is important to work across party lines, but not at the cost of racial equity. Racial equity is a nonpartisan issue. BIPOC communities are literally dying as a result of racial inequities and disparities in Minnesota. It is time that the language of racial equity heard so often at the Capitol translates into a process for achieving it within the lives of Minnesota’s BIPOC communities. We’ve waited far too long for this need and states like Connecticut, Oregon, and Iowa have been doing this since 2008. This is not a feel-good proposal for BIPOC communities. It is a thoughtful process for articulating racial equity in a state where racial inequities and disparities have cost us in so many ways.

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Brett Grant is research and policy director for Voices for Racial Justice. Andrea Ferstan is vice president of systems innovation at the Center for Economic Inclusion. Marie Ellis is public policy director at the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Ken LaChance

My Reflections
By Ken LaChance - Senior Vice President / Market Executive, Wells Fargo; Board of Directors, Center for Economic Inclusion

A year after the murder of George Floyd, I was struck by what stood out for me this May versus last May: that more than the “remember and honor” associated with Memorial Day was an awareness and reflection on my work toward economic inclusion, equity, and ending systemic racism.

Why is this striking? I come from a family where many men before me have served our nation, fought in wars, and even lost limbs or life to protect our freedoms. Yet here we are, in a country where many marginalized people say they are fighting within our borders for similar freedoms or opportunities.

There is no doubt George Floyd’s death sparked awareness, debate, and action by many people. Hopefully, the conversations and movement will create lasting changes at even a more rapid pace than we have seen during the last 100+ years.

As I have reflected on the anniversary of his death, I realize two things: that my legacy and efforts toward racial equity may never seem as heroic or patriotic as those of the other men in my family, and yet, this is the fight I want to be a part of and remembered for when I die. I am proud and humbled to be called an ally.

While I do not think of my small efforts to be powerful enough to win the battle nor, perhaps, even meaningfully impact this war against systemic racism, I consider myself a leader and know my actions are watched by others. I believe this is an obligation and an opportunity to help us be better.

Memorial Day is and always will be a day of remembrance and to honor those who have died in service to our country. My hope is that it is also a time to reflect upon the death of George Floyd and too many others that serves as a reminder and renewed call to action to continue our battle for economic inclusion, equity, and ending systemic racism.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Joe S. Nayquonabe

My Reflections
By Joe S. Nayquonabe - Commissioner of Corporate Affairs, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; Board of Directors, Center for Economic Inclusion

As we marked the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, an unfathomable bookend to the year emerged for my Indigenous community as news broke of a mass grave discovered on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia, Canada.

In the mass grave lie the remains of 215 Indigenous children, some as young as just 3 years old. This news opened incredible scars for Indigenous people across North America. It is a grim, painful reminder of the Indigenous boarding school era, a federally mandated byproduct of assimilation policies which lasted from 1860 to 1978 in the United States and more than 160 years in Canada (1830s-1996).

During this era in both Canada and the United States, the government policy was to assimilate Indigenous people into the white societal ideals of the time to “kill the Indian, save the man.” Essentially, it was cultural genocide, the trauma of which still reverberates throughout generations of Indigenous people and families.

Systematic neglect, abuse, and denigration of Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian people is woven into the very fabric of our nation’s history. This is a powerful call to action to educate our communities to create a more just future for generations to come. This is the reckoning of our time.

May the souls of the 215 children found Rest in Peace and may healing commence for our Indigenous communities across the land.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Wokie C. Freeman-Gbogba

My Reflections
By Wokie C. Freeman-Gbogba, Assistant City Manager, City of Brooklyn Park

As a public servant and in my role, I must put personal feelings aside and consider how best to serve our Brooklyn Park community and our staff. This means that I must still grapple with racism daily because it permeates our society and is embedded in our structures and systems.

Brooklyn Park is a community of the future, with more than 80,000 residents of whom more than half are Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian residents and more than a quarter are foreign born.

We are proud of our cultural and racial diversity, yet we acknowledge some racial disparities in poverty rates, educational attainment, home ownership, and unemployment rates, among other areas.

This makes our efforts towards advancing racial equity critical to the success of every resident. With that comes an obligation to confront racism and remove whatever barriers exist within our practices, policies, and procedures.

This past year has been extremely challenging. Yet, out of the pain, we have found a renewed commitment to ensure that we are not merely talking about what so many of our residents, and staff, face every day. We are also taking action. I am taking action. As employees of a local government whose paychecks are funded by our taxpayers, we all hold a shared accountability to do so.

Though we still have a long way to go, I am optimistic that the steps we have taken so far are already making a difference. And we will continue moving closer to our community vision of “Brooklyn Park, a thriving community inspiring pride, where opportunities exist for all.”

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING | Mike Dominowski

MY REFLECTIONS
By Mike Dominowski, Director of Community Affairs, Thrivent

I am humbled that my partners at the Center for Economic Inclusion would ask for my reflections on the events of this past year following Mr. Floyd’s murder.

As a white man, it important to me that I note that my perspectives on racial equity are limited to my own lived experience and what I have learned from my friends, neighbors, and colleagues who have courageously dedicated themselves to guiding me (and so many others) toward greater empathy and understanding.

Since moving to Minnesota 25 years ago from Michigan, I learned to appreciate our state as a special place. It is my adopted home. In recent years, I learned about the unsettling history when policies, business practices, and apathy led to racial covenants, red-lining, and disinvested schools, and about important moments in our past that foreshadowed the racially inequitable state that we now live in.

The past 12 months have brought to life the faces and stories of those who experience the indignity and brutality of racism. I’ve experienced anger, sadness, and shame along this journey. I’ve also been given a sense of purpose to do my part as a Minneapolis resident, father, and community partner. 

As I consider the past year for our communities, I believe Minnesota has made important initial steps toward a more inclusive state and economy. Business leaders, policy makers, and social-sector leaders are changing the conversation to talk openly about entrenched racial inequities and pledging to address the long-term effects of racism in systems and institutions. I am proud of the commitment by Thrivent CEO Terry Rasmussen to listen, learn, and respond to the effects of racism within our organization, business, and communities.

Minnesota also experienced an unprecedented level of collaboration among cross-sector stakeholders. New coalitions like the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity, Philanthropic Collective to Combat Anti-Blackness & Realize Racial Justice, and Alliance of Alliances are building critical infrastructure with the potential to disrupt the status quo and normalize racial equity as a shared goal. Many employers, corporations, and foundations also increased their investments to fund these institutions and other organizations that seek to center the voices of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian Minnesotans.

Now, the hard part begins. Can we maintain the momentum to permanently invest in a new core of leaders and institutions that will build a new legacy for our state? Do we have the fortitude to learn how our own policies and practices are contributing to racial inequities and chart a new course within our own organizations? Will we be humble enough to shift our lens for learning outside of our four walls to people, places, and organizations with lived experience?

Future generations will judge us for what we do in this moment. We have an opportunity to write a new history. I hope we respond to the call.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Lulete Mola

My Reflections
By Lulete Mola - Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Women's Foundation of Minnesota

The story of coming from vibrant communities full of love, kindness, power, and support while also interacting with harmful and often violent systems — education, health care, workforce, and more— is the story shared by many folks pushed to the margins in Minnesota. Perhaps that is why many of us are heartbroken and sick but not completely shocked by the murder of George Floyd that catalyzed an uprising and re-energized a global movement for racial justice.

Those of us who call Minnesota home have been pleading with the nation to SEE the injustice here for as long as I can remember; economic, police, and social violence has always been prevalent. Too often, we were made to be invisible by headlines praising Minnesota’s prosperity, but that was never OUR story.

From school infrastructures mirroring prisons to degradation in public spaces, unlivable wages, severe housing insecurity, and so much more, Black, Native, and communities of color in Minnesota are continuously harmed, and we are exhausted.

Make no mistake: our communities are vibrant, innovative, and resilient AND we cannot resilience our way to freedom and justice. We need significant shifts in power and a rebuilding of systems.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Charlie Zelle

My Reflections
By Charlie Zelle - Chair, Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities

It has been just over a year since that horrific day when George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. As I reflect on this time when our region has been in an international spotlight, I am filled with a range of strong emotions.

From the pain and shame in seeing a region I love fall into tumult and despair to the clear-eyed determination born from increased awareness as I have joined in collective outrage and demands for justice. It is my honor and responsibility as a leader of regional government to take a hard look at what we can do to address the disparities and injustices more directly in our region. 

My engagement in the civic life of our region, including my interests in community development, transportation, education, and the arts (especially theater) propels me to consider how many ways we need to act to truly address the American legacy of racism and injustice.

We need to be urgent and vocal advocates for change. At the Metropolitan Council, we are taking small but important steps to be better partners in advocating for economic prosperity. This can be found in how we are spending our budget to further imbed principles of equity in our work, and in our willingness to hear from our customers and neighbors about whether they feel safe on our transit system and when interacting with our police officers.

I know being anti-racist means disrupting the status quo. I know that means investing in different approaches, different voices, and asking more critical questions that turn the spotlight right back on us.

Each year, we have some discretionary funds in our budget for targeted efforts. With these good ideas from all Met Council divisions and the support of Council Members, we are embarking on several specific initiatives:

• Increasing contracting with underutilized businesses

• Increasing housing stability through investment in more deeply affordable, larger family housing units

• Training and hiring youth who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color to further diversify our Environmental Services division

• Evaluating ways to more intentionally involve and benefit people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color in transportation prioritization and investment

• Reducing barriers to maintenance technician careers through a training program

• Expanding multicultural representation in transit marketing

We are also beginning the process to update our regional development guide, which occurs every 10 years following the decennial U.S. Census. In the 2040 plan, we prominently identified equity as a critical regional outcome. This next plan will likely expand and deepen the region’s vision for what that means. We need our regional policies and investments to be responsive to our realities in this region.  

These specific projects and programs are important steps. And though we know there’s so much more work to do, we’re committed to doing our part for racial justice and equity in the region. Our challenge will be maintaining the momentum and urgency for what can only be accomplished by acting collectively over time.

We’re on an important journey together. We have an opportunity to send an important message about Minnesota to the world, a region that has truly achieved results.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Danielle Steer

My Reflections
By Danielle Steer, Founding Executive Director, Lunar Startups

At Lunar, we are still grieving and celebrating the death of the “before times,” while grappling with the tension and strangeness of contradicting emotions that the past year of reckoning has enabled us to feel more fully. The highs and lows, pain and joy, and relief and anxiety, all driven by a collective energy building to do better.

As we move into this next phase of transition, we are doubling down on ritual, reflection, and deep listening in our work. We’re trying to avoid falling into internalized patterns of "value," "work," "deadlines," and "productivity" – which we know only favored a small percentage of humans, anyway. We are leaning into giving more grace and slowing down, while feeling pressure to act fast.

Make no mistake, there is real gravity pulling many leaders and organizations towards old patterns. Our greatest fear for the “after times” is that the start-up ecosystem will be lulled into a false sense of accomplishment and complacency about dismantling oppression in the economy.

That responsibility still belongs to all of us, all the time. 

This where my focus is staying: on the entrepreneurs Lunar serves. Lunar Startups’ cohort CEOs are the leaders who are reimagining the future of work and building an economy that works for everyone. They are the dreamers with the solutions to our community’s greatest challenges. They are driving real, substantive change while raising the bar for what it means to hold power.

They are opening a door to a better tomorrow and we’re walking through it, together.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Tawanna A. Black

MY REFLECTIONS
By Tawanna A. Black - Founder and Chief Executive Officer

History matters.

On June 19, 1865, almost three years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending legalized slavery and two months after the Civil War ended, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas with news that in fact all enslaved people of African descent should be made free. The following year, June 19 was celebrated as Freedom Day, and Texas made the day a state holiday in 1979.

While America needed nearly three years to reconcile itself with the ruling of the Emancipation Proclamation, it took over 100 years to reconcile itself with the experience of that truth: life, liberty, freedom, and justice for all people.

In the past year, many Americans have had an awakening and witnessed for the first time, in the words of W.E.B. Dubois, “…a system [which] cannot fail those it was never meant to protect.”

The justice, economic, education, workforce, health, and housing systems that criminalize and restrict opportunity from Black and Brown people are not broken. They were designed to produce the results they are producing. They will continue to produce unequal benefits for some, and unequal harm for others, until they are dismantled and new racially inclusive, equitable systems are built.

As a nation, state, and community, we have only begun the work of reckoning with the depths of racism that each of us must work daily to undo inside our organizations, communities, neighborhoods, and families if justice and freedom are to truly be realized. 

While many businesses and agencies have made Juneteenth a holiday for the second year in a row, and Congress and President Biden have made Juneteenth a federal holiday, many African Americans, in particular American Descendants of Slavery, are asking how we ensure this new awakening becomes more than a day off from work.

Closed offices and observances are important, perhaps even necessary, but not sufficient. Freedom fighters of yesterday, today, and tomorrow stand in solidarity in relentless pursuit of racial equity and justice.

We march, lobby, work, advocate, and organize for demonstrated acts of anti-racism, inclusion, and belonging in classrooms, workplaces, and communal spaces that can be measured in accountability, mobility, opportunity, and power.

My call to action this Juneteenth:

• Join the daily fight for liberation in every sector, in every zip code, and in every place where privilege is used to withhold freedom, life, justice, and equity.

• Spend time in reflection and share your journey with others.

• Visit the Center’s website where we feature personal essays by partners and staff about their experiences reckoning with racism over the past year.

History does matter. It will show that we fought for freedom, we fought for liberation, and we reckoned to rise, together.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: Andrea Ferstan

My Reflections
By Andrea Ferstan - Vice President of Systems Innovations

As I reflect on this past year, there is much that I am grateful for, more that I could have done, and much that I am committed to doing.

Have I changed all my purchasing decisions? No, but I am committed to spending more with Black, Brown, and Indigenous-owned businesses. Do I know all that there is to know about being anti-racist? No, the journey is a long one and it requires more than just reading, of which there is a great deal to do.

All this said, I am deeply committed to advancing the Center for Economic Inclusion’s mission and enormously grateful that I get to do this work with incredible colleagues, partners, and an inspiring leader that supports us in achieving results, cares for our well-being, and creates an environment, internally and externally, of shared accountability to racial equity and economic inclusion.

While the past year has been horrific in so many ways, my hope is that the growing and shared dissent against fear, hatred, and centuries of systemic racism are leading us down a new path of racial equity, economic and social justice, and racial inclusion.

At the same time, I am not sure that leaders truly understand what it will take to get there fully. Here’s what I think is needed:

• Reparations to address the centuries of wealth extraction, devaluation, and lack of investment in Black, Brown, and Indigenous people and communities.

• A shifting and sharing of power and influence.

• Acknowledgement and dismantling of white supremacy norms, structures, and values.

• A framework for action that is rooted in changing the narrative; advancing data-informed, systemic action; and ensuring shared accountability to racial equity, economic inclusion, and growth.

The economic impact of the past year, like the recession before it, has disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities. While there are many reasons for this, two significant factors have been at play. The policies and processes aimed at helping businesses were, at best, inadequate, and at worst, harmful to Black and Brown businesses, already disproportionately undercapitalized.

As Andre Perry notes, “The current state of Black-owned businesses reflects persistent inequities in wealth and access to capital. Less than 2 percent of small businesses with employees are Black-owned. This is ‘not driven by individual deficiencies but by the compounded effects of structural racism and racial and gender discrimination that have severely limited access to wealth and capital.’”[1]

Similarly, over-representation of Black and Brown people in lower wage industries were hardest hit by job losses. While it is critical that Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian people earn sustaining wages in high-growth industries with advancement opportunities and benefits, we must also work to ensure all jobs are good jobs.

In a 2019 Gallup survey of working adults, most respondents reported that their job quality had a strong influence on their quality of life. And more than half of respondents reported not having a quality job.

So, what is a quality or good job? It is a job with the following components: sustaining wages, benefits, scheduling, legal rights, demonstrated racial equity and inclusion, opportunity to build skills and advance, and a supportive, inclusive work environment.

It is time that we all reckon with the systemic forces behind Minnesota’s shameful ranking as the state with the racial worst wealth gaps in the country. Research shows that such a reckoning can result in greater economic growth for businesses who stand to benefit from higher profits and productivity, for workers who benefit from good jobs and diverse teams, and for the state, which can only remain competitive through racially equitable policies and investments.

[1] https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/reports/2020/07/31/488423/blueprint-revamping-minority-business-development-agency/

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING: De'Vonna Pittman

My Reflections
By De’Vonna Pittman - Director of Inclusive Growth

What a year it has been.

A pandemic, seemingly endless racism, police brutality, and poverty uncovered and snatched up from its roots for us all to see.

Racism requires you move through life in either a very oblivious manner or a very present manner. As an African American woman, I am never able to forget that I am African American, and that some may see that as a problem. I am reminded of this when I walk into a store, restaurant, places of business, or even when I am simply sitting with my own thoughts.

This past year, I have done significant soul searching about how I plan to show up in conversations about race, equity, racism, and systemic racism.

I was born and raised in poverty. All my teachers were African American, the policemen were African American, and the grocers were African American. It wasn’t until I moved to Minnesota that I realized how real racism was and how it wasn’t just a matter of people blatantly discriminating. It was also about how leaders determined what sort of resources would land in what communities.

In retrospect, all of this has framed my thinking and has been the impetus for why I decided to commit my life more towards fighting racism and closing racial wealth gaps. We must have shared accountability, and checks and balances with leaders, organizations, and community.

I believe that with the right supports in place and lawmakers who understand that structural racism is the reason for our current state, we can get on track to closing racial wealth gaps. Then, and only then, can we build an economy that works for everyone.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

REFLECTIONS ON A YEAR OF RECKONING | Karen Cusey

MY REFLECTIONS
By Karen Cusey - Executive Assistant for External Affairs, Center for Economic Inclusion

For two years in my late 20’s, I lived at the intersection of 38th and Longfellow in Minneapolis, less than 1 mile east of what is now George Floyd Square. I still love that vibrant, bright, artistic neighborhood, filled with friendly faces, wonderful food, and many small businesses. Then as now, I could walk, shop, eat, and pretty much do anything there without fear of being harmed by police.

In my ignorance at that time about police brutality and mistreatment of Black citizens, I thought my Black neighbors and I enjoyed the same level of safety and security in our neighborhood. And I assumed that police violence against people of color only happened in other cities.

If that were true, George Floyd and the astounding number of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian people who have been murdered by police would still be alive today. Here with their families, in their communities, living their lives. Police violence should not happen anywhere.

As a straight, white, middle-aged, college-educated woman, I am aware of my privilege. So, I know it is on me – my responsibility – to use that privilege to drive change in my little corner of the world.

Over the past few years, I have learned so much by attending DEI workshops, through books, listening to my friends and family of color, and following leaders whose vision for an equitable world inspires systems change to achieve racial equity on a global scale.

With intention, I have spent more time living, learning, and making friends with people different than me, well outside the comfort of echo chambers that exist in my community and on social media. I point out to friends and family when I recognize they are being racist, and share books, websites, and tools for anti-racist actions.

Many of these conversations result in upset. The truth is we cannot make real change if we only talk to people who agree with us. We must commit to engaging in the hard conversations -- within ourselves and with one another -- to grow as individuals and improve the world we share.

I want to make the world better for everyone, not just myself. White people should not need to benefit directly from racial equity work to see its value.

It is about making things right. Black lives matter.

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ABOUT THE REFLECTIONS CAMPAIGN
After a year of reckoning with the ravages of racism in our schools, businesses, neighborhoods, and halls of justice, we see clearly that racism is deeply woven into every fiber of our society and that the consequences have touched each person in America. We see the depths of division and racism and the imperative to work in new ways to address very old problems.

The Center for Economic Inclusion invited leaders at all levels and from across sectors to share their reflections of the past year; several members of the Center’s staff have also participated. We wanted to learn how they have reckoned with racism over the past year; what is different in the places where they live, work, and play; what they think the the future holds; and what they think it will take to reimagine and build an economy that truly works for everyone.

We thank the leaders who answered our call to participate in this campaign. All week long, we will share their powerful reflections, in their own words.

> To engage with our entire Reckoning to Rise Together series, click here.

Center Elects New Leadership to Board of Directors

On June 3, the Center welcomed four new members to the board of directors: Dionne Gumbs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GenEQTY; Karen Hudson, Chief Sales Officer, Grant Thornton LLP; Elliot Jaffee, Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy, Corporate & Commercial Banking, U.S. Bank; and Samuel Yamoah Jr., Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Cambia Health Solutions, bringing the total to twelve.

“The Center for Economic Inclusion is uniquely positioned to drive shared accountability for closing racial wealth gaps,” said Tawanna A. Black, our Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “Our board, who serve as ambassadors for racial and economic justice, equity, and freedom, position us to fulfill this mission. We are honored to welcome and work alongside such accomplished leaders who have embraced the work of dismantling systemic racism in their respective sectors as a principal driver to fuel inclusive and equitable economic growth.”

“Dionne, Elliot, Karen, and Sam each offer compelling and diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives that will elevate our efforts to equip public- and private-sector employers with the tools, knowledge, and resources they need to create anti-racist and thriving organizations that build inclusive and equitable economies,” said Tawanna.

DIONNE GUMBS – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GenEQTY
Dionne Gumbs is a visionary CEO, problem solver, and business-expansion leader with deep domain expertise in financial services and a passion for digital transformation and social impact.

After two decades in banking and a track record of success across sales, product development, and strategy, she founded GenEQTY. GenEQTY is a cloud-based financial technology platform delivering a smarter banking solution intentionally built to improve financial performance, business health, and capital access for owners and entrepreneurs. The minimum viable product set to launch this summer leverages artificial intelligence to eliminate bias and offer expedited access to financing built on real-time data, fully digital business accounts, dynamic data visualization of key financial ratios, sales and cash flow metrics, a proprietary business health score, and phenomenal, human-centered customer experience. Users save time and money and benefit from predictive analytics, push notifications, and data-driven insights that tells them how they are doing while also revealing potential pitfalls.

Her work has been highlighted in Wharton Magazine, The Business Journal, Bank Beat Magazine, George W. Bush Institute’s The Catalyst magazine, Yum Brands International, and many others. She has been featured on podcasts discussing leadership, inclusive finance, and equity. In 2021, Dionne was recognized by Twin Cities Business as a Notable Leader in Finance. She sits on various boards and is also a member of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, a competitive executive leadership program.

Dionne earned her M.B.A. from Columbia University and her B.A. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Division I varsity athlete. She later obtained a post-baccalaureate degree in Accounting from the Wharton School. A native New Yorker, Dionne resides in the Twin Cities with her husband and two children.

”The Twin Cities has found itself at the epicenter of social change in the last year and a half due to the horrific murder of George Floyd. We now have a unique opportunity to be evolutionary change agents for social, racial, and economic justice,” said Dionne Gumbs, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GenEQTY. “I am excited and honored to serve on the board with this committed group at the Center for Economic Inclusion. They and many other great organizations have been doing the hard work necessary to push us forward.”

KAREN HUDSON - Chief Sales Officer, Grant Thornton LLP
Karen Hudson is the Chief Sales Officer at Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. In this position, Karen leads the firm’s national business development team, which is responsible for building long-term client relationships, understanding client business strategy and challenges, and bringing the breadth of Grant Thornton’s expertise and services to provide client value. Her role includes sales recruiting, training, and enablement and sales compensation, as well as advising on broader growth strategies and initiatives. She serves on Grant Thornton’s Growth Committee and National Leadership Team.

Karen is a vocal advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through her leadership, her team has revised its approach to hiring and onboarding — ensuring that recruiters proactively reach out to diverse candidates and all hiring managers know that diversity is a priority. In addition, Karen has led unconscious-bias small-group discussions across the entire sales team, which has equipped her team with the tools they need to advance diversity, equity and inclusion at Grant Thornton and its clients, and within the broader community.

Karen lives in St Paul with her husband and has three young adult children. She also serves on the board of the Minnesota Technology Association and the board of Women Winning.

“This region has an unprecedented opportunity to seize the moment and create real and lasting change for our community and for the generations to come. Creating change requires businesses of all sizes to work hand-in-hand with government entities and community organizations. Only then can we bridge the pervasive racial, wealth and opportunity gaps that have existed for many years,” said Karen Hudson, Chief Sales Officer, Grant Thornton LLP. “That’s why I am honored to join the Center for Economic Inclusion and to play my part in its important work.”

ELLIOT JAFFEE - Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy, Corporate & Commercial Banking, U.S. Bank
Elliot Jaffee is Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy, Corporate & Commercial Banking, at U.S. Bank, one of the nation’s largest commercial banks. In this role, Elliot leads the development and implementation of strategic priorities for the Corporate & Commercial Banking lines of business, ensuring the business is positioned to succeed within the critical changes in the banking industry and the economy.

Throughout his tenure at U.S. Bank, Elliot has held senior leadership roles. Most recently, he served as head of Commercial Banking. In that role, he led a team of professionals that supported middle-market businesses across the entire U.S. Bank footprint. Additionally, he served as Twin Cities Market President, leading the bank’s local business activities. Prior to joining U.S. Bank, Elliot held corporate banking positions at Bank of America in New York and Chicago.

An active and dedicated member of the community, Elliot’s leadership extends to several civic organizations. Currently, he serves on the boards of directors of the Economic Club of Minnesota, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He has also served as Executive Sponsor for the Special Olympics Polar Plunge and on the boards of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and numerous other community organizations.

Elliot earned his bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and his MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where he graduated with honors.

“I’m looking forward to joining the Center’s board to address critical and urgent gaps in our social and economic systems. It’s the right thing to do and I believe our community’s prosperity depends on it,” said Elliot Jaffee, Executive Vice President and Head of Strategy, Corporate & Commercial Banking, U.S. Bank.

SAMUEL YAMOAH JR. - Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Cambia Health Solutions
As Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Sam Yamoah drives Cambia’s strategic framework to serve customers with groundbreaking health care solutions. With deep experience in strategic business building in health insurance, systems, and technology, Sam has a history of bringing teams together to solve some of health care’s toughest challenges.

Prior to Cambia, Sam worked for McKinsey and Company as an associate partner and leader in the health care and public sector providing counsel to clients on top-management agenda topics focused on strategy, profitable growth, and large-scale performance transformations. Passionate about service and improving health disparities, Sam was the health care leader for McKinsey’s Institute for Black Economic Mobility, a research institute and think-tank dedicated to advancing racial equity and inclusive growth globally.

Sam grew up in Liberia and Ghana and came to the U.S. to pursue his education. He received an MBA from The University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Luther College. He is co-founder of Brain Builders, a nonprofit that distributes books to schools, libraries, and other learning centers in Ghana.

Sam serves on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association Twin Cities and the alumni board of Luther College.

“I am very excited to join this amazing organization dedicated to advancing inclusive growth focused on racial equity and economic opportunity,” said Sam Yamoah, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Cambia Health Solutions. “My aspiration is we can continue to accelerate the pace and scale impact of the Center.”

Biden’s Plans for America’s Future

By Andrea Ferstan, Vice President of Systems Innovation

President Biden’s first 100 days have focused on restarting and reimagining our economy. The policies and investments laid out in both the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) and the American Jobs Plan focus on critical needs and provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully realize our economic competitiveness through racially equitable and inclusive economic growth and prosperity.

As Biden noted in his address to Congress, “We have to do more than build back better… and compete more strenuously than we have.”

This will require local, state, and federal policymakers to look beyond economic stimulus and recovery and invest in catalytic transformation to build an equitable and inclusive economy. This opportunity demands transformational action, investment, and policy, and it is up to all of us to ensure that this occurs.

While President Biden spoke of the widening wealth gap, he failed to mention that these gaps are significantly greater for Black and Brown communities. For centuries, racist policies and practices have devalued assets, extracted wealth, and prevented wealth accumulation. This has kept too many Black and Brown people in jobs and circumstances where, during economic downturns, they are further exploited and devastated.

Now is our time to be on the right side of history and it will require immediate and sustained investment with racial equity in the center. ARPA offers state and local governments flexibility and a horizon for investing dollars — both are critical for the scale of transformation needed. Investments that close long-standing wage gaps and stimulate business growth in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian communities will pay dividends for all Minnesotans.

There is much in ARPA and the American Jobs Plan that can serve as opportunities for transformation, including:

• Distribution of critical relief checks, food support and rental assistance to families who have experienced significant economic hardships due to the pandemic.

• Loans to small businesses to reopen and keep their employees on the job.

• Job creation through infrastructure investments that prioritize lower income communities.

• Better wages and benefits for healthcare workers caring for older adults and a $15 minimum wage, both of which disproportionately impact Black and Brown workers.

• Access to quality, affordable childcare and healthcare.

One example of a transformational policy for addressing poverty and widening wealth gaps is expansion of the Child Tax Credit, which, according to President Biden, is projected to help cut child poverty in half.

Yet, while the path to financial security begins with employment and tax credits, wealth gaps will only be eliminated through equitable wage advancement and accessible benefits that create the conditions for homeownership, retirement, and other forms of wealth accumulation and intergenerational prosperity critical to both family and community vitality.

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Want to learn more about how we are driving inclusive and equitable investments of the federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars? Watch our last Reckoning to Rise Together forum featuring Alan Berube (Deputy Director, Brookings Metro), Willie Barney (CEO, African American Empowerment Network), and Heather Worthington (Principal, Worthington Advisors, LLC).

CALL TO ACTION: Help Minnesota Ensure Future Laws Are Racially Equitable

By Andrea Ferstan, Vice President of Systems Innovation

Policy is a powerful tool for justice. Policy drives regional, state, and federal investments that impact communities and the economy. When racial equity is not intentionally considered in policy, racial inequality is often the result. Today, many racially inequitable impacts are produced inadvertently, through processes and choices that may not even explicitly address race, may appear race neutral, or may even be offered to address racial disparities.

In collaboration with Voices for Racial Justice and the Racial Equity & Joy Coalition, we need your partnership right now to ensure that future policies reflect and ensure racial equity and inclusion before passed into law. Racial Equity Impact Notes are how we get there. Racial Equity Impact Notes will ensure consistent analysis through use of a set of guiding questions to determine if existing and proposed policies and investments will increase or decrease disparities and advance economic inclusion.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY

Contact the following key leaders today to support HF 1952-3 (pp. 57-59), proposed legislation in the House State Government Finance and Elections Omnibus bill. This bill establishes the Racial Equity Impact Assessment Working Group, which will develop recommendations for the preparation of a Racial Equity Impact Note for proposed legislation.

Key Leaders to Contact TODAY

1. MN Governor Tim Walz and MN Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flannigan

   • Send emails in care of the Governor and Lt. Governor to Brandon Hirsch at brandon.hirsch01@state.mn.us

2. Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent at Sen.susan.kent@senate.mn

3. House Speaker Melissa Hortman at Rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn

4. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler at Rep.ryan.winkler@house.mn

The timing to pass this legislation is critical. Soon, Minnesota will receive $2.58B from the American Rescue Plan Act, unprecedented federal resources coming into the state, counties, and cities. It is an economic and moral imperative that we adopt a racial equity framework before these dollars arrive and decisions are made about how to invest them.

A Racial Equity Impact Assessment will bake equity into laws before passage to ensure delivery of an equitable and inclusive economy. This will not only stimulate economic growth, but also shared and equitable prosperity through investment in Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian workers and business owners.

McKinsey reports that closing racial wealth gaps could lead to 4-6% GDP growth by 2028. This is our opportunity for intentional, proportionate actions and investments.

Want to learn more about how we are driving inclusive and equitable investments of the federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars? Watch our last Reckoning to Rise Together forum featuring Alan Berube (Deputy Director, Brookings Metro), Willie Barney (CEO, African American Empowerment Network), and Heather Worthington (Principal, Worthington Advisors, LLC).

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE RACIAL EQUITY IN REGION

Virtual CARES Act Recovery Assistance Planning Session, July 15

To address the devastating economic effects of COVID-19 on communities across the nation, federal Federal EDA CARES Act recovery assistance funding will flow to qualifying regions. To secure funding for our region, we are finalizing the Regional Economic Framework, which will enable eligible organizations here to apply for CARES funding.

VIRTUAL PLANNING SESSION
On Wednesday, July 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Center for Economic Inclusion, Greater MSP, and the Met Council will host a virtual planning session to share ideas and discuss regional priorities for funding. Representatives from the Center, Greater MSP, and Met Council will be on-hand to provide updates and answer questions about the Regional Economic Framework.

Projects for consideration must align with the Regional Economic Framework, leverage existing regional assets, and support the implementation of economic development strategies that offer new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities.

REGISTER for planning session:

• Email Andrea Ferstan, CEI Vice President of Systems Innovation: aferstan@centerforeconomicinclusion.org

QUESTIONS about the Regional Economic Framework or EDA CARES Act funding opportunity:

• Amanda Taylor, Greater MSP: amanda.taylor@greatermsp.org

• Mike Larson, Met Council: Michael.Larson@metc.state.mn.us

• Andrea Ferstan, Center For Economic Inclusion: aferstan@centerforeconomicinclusion.org

Additional Resources:

• Recording of the June 15th: Information Session (Part I)

• Recording of the June 25th Information Session (Part II)

• Five Things To Know About the Federal EDA CARES Act Funding Opportunity

• EDA Coronavirus website

• EDA Notice of Funding Opportunity