Social unrest and the drive for racial equity is top of mind right now. Today, Carla talks with Quentin L. Messer, Jr, who recently wrote a powerful article about his experiences as a Black man in America. Quentin graciously joined the C2 O’Clock call on Friday, June 12 to dive deeper into his insights and share his wisdom for the path forward. He reminds us that economic developers have a unique role in the conversations about driving equity. Quentin also shares three things that economic developers should know about racial equity conversations and emphasizes the importance of hope in the future we are creating. Tune in now to hear this transformative conversation!

If you prefer to watch the conversation on video, we’ve made that available as well:

Quentin is the president and CEO of New Orleans Business Alliance, where he leads initiatives and programs related to making New Orleans the most attractive city of its size for financial and human capital investment. These initiatives and programs are conducted across four workstreams: business attraction/retention, small business growth, talent and workforce development, and strategic neighborhood development.

CRISIS TO RENAISSANCE PIVOT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Do you want to be part of the C2 O’Clock live presentations? On the second Friday of each month, Consultant Connect hosts a virtual call with a guest presenter, followed by time to connect with fellow economic development professionals in small breakout sessions. If you’d like to join, you can sign up here.

Now is the time to pivot from reaction to reinvention, and America’s Jobs Team is excited to bring you content that will help economic development professionals become agents of change. Every week we will bring you content relevant to the reinvention and renaissance of our communities. Subscribe to our podcast to ensure you have all the latest content as soon as it is released!

Full article here.