The Anti-Racist Community Development research project has documented the range of ways that structural racism shows up in community development and the many ways that people are trying to move anti-racist work forward in the sector. Before communities can fully reckon with our past and present and envision a better future, though, we think it’s important to step back and look at some of the fundamental mindsets that shape the sector. The stories we tell about ourselves and about others contribute a lot to how we show up – in our priorities, the ways we spend our limited time and money, our practices, our processes, and our systems.

In “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” our panel will explore long-standing, hardwired narratives that show up in the community development sector and keep us from doing the racial equity work that so many of us are trying to do. We’ll also look at specific, practical ways that you can creatively push back against those narratives, at the neighborhood level, the city level, or even nationally.

Learn more and RSVP here.

Join Next City on August 3 as we discuss how economic development can play a key role in racial equity and promoting economic well-being for communities of color.

The International Economic Development Council’s (IEDC) Equitable Economic Development Playbook offers concrete steps and recommendations on how economic development can play a key role in racial equity and promoting economic well-being for communities of color. To help detail the actionable steps within the playbook, Gregory Johnson, Managing Director of U.S. Equity and Economic Opportunity at The Rockefeller Foundation, will have a candid discussion with IEDC’s Vice President of Knowledge Management and Development, Frankie Clogston, Ph.D., about centering equity in economic development practices and leveraging incentives and tools to build inclusive local economies.

Learn more and RSVP here.