During our three day Equity Summit two weeks ago, we all were challenged in different ways to make improving racial disparities more central to our work. Our staff was no exception, taking away some notable lessons. Here are some short reflections by SGA staff about what we learned or will remember.
Did you participate in the Summit? We want to hear what you learned or were challenged by as well. Use the form below to share your own personal reflection, and we’ll share some of them in a future post. (If you’re looking for recordings, we have all three days here)
Chris Zimmerman, Vice President for Economic Development
“EQUITY IS STIMULUS – if you want to grow the economy, if you want to improve conditions, build equity.” This statement from Dr. Andre Perry’s keynote address provides an important insight into a dimension of the social justice issue that is often overlooked. There is a tendency to view the fight for social justice and racial equity as a conflict between a moral imperative and hard economic reality. The moral case is so strong and compelling that even advocates may tend to yield to the notion that economic sacrifice is a necessary cost of correcting systemic social injustices. Dr. Perry’s trenchant statement points to the truth that the maintenance of inequality, the continued legacy of generations of racial discrimination, has a negative impact on the economy, on both a micro and macro level. Inequality and racism are not just wrong; they come with a price tag that is paid by everyone. This message should serve as a touchstone for the smart growth approach to economic development. We must center equitable outcomes in our work helping communities build shared prosperity. Both to promote social justice and to strengthen our economies, local and national.
Helen Hope, communications associate
When it comes to centering racial equity, you have to recognize the issue, name it, talk about it, then do something about it. For longer than I’ve been alive, people have been talking about equality, then equity. As Dr. Destiny Thomas told us on day three: “We’ve become really good at naming what the harm will be, but less interested in preventing it from happening,” Institutional racism and actions that harm people of color have been around, been recognized, and been talked about. Dr. Thomas called out both practitioners and thought leaders with this statement—pushing us towards doing over watching. Her call-to-action to look at urban planning holistically with other disciplines and with communities at the table will stick with me.
Victoria Fanibi, LOCUS program associate
“We must mandate justice in our laws and policies” — Sekita Grant, Vice President of The Solutions Project. During the opening panel for the Smart Growth America Equity Summit, Sekita Grant spoke about the need to embed equity into every level of our work as practitioners. When racial equity and inclusion are the drivers of policies, we are able to accomplish incredible things as a nation.
Chris McCahill, deputy director, State Smart Transportation Initiative
Many transportation professionals would agree that we need to “stop thinking about transportation just as an opportunity to move people quickly and at low cost,” as Dr. Destiny Thomas put it. But we don’t often ask her other questions: Why isn’t the bus shelter providing high-speed internet for the community? Why aren’t train stations places we can get fresh produce or seek mental health interventions? A big part of the problem, according to Minnesota State Representative Rena Moran, is that we spend so much time focusing on the solutions when we don’t fully understand the problems. These speakers and others forced participants of the Smart Growth Equity Summit to imagine what our communities could look like once we get past the silos and power structures that typically stand in the way. As Melvin Giles explained: “We’re trying to not just complain about redlining; we are transforming it to green-lining.”
Gov. Parris Glendening, President of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute
The three day Equity Summit was excellent. I was fortunate to be able to attend all three panels. There were certainly a number of interesting and important studies about the relationship between equity and housing, economic development, interstate highways, etc, but three important observations explain the impact and real heart of the full Summit for me:
The human element is very important. My friend the late Senator Ted Kennedy told me on several occasions, “To really get people’s attention tell a story. Make it real and personal and people will remember it.” That is exactly what panelist after panelist did starting with keynote speaker Dr. Andre Perry’s discussion about how structural racism in our land use policies “systematically de-values Black people,” all the way through the stories about the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul from the third panel’s Melvin Giles. These stories make the growing inequity in America real and personable and I will remember them for a long time.
The connection between smart growth and inequity in America was covered well by many participants. It is best summed up, however, in Calvin Gladney’s conclusion: Smart growth is about equity. It is not smart growth if it does not improve equity in our communities, in America.
When discussing equity and smart growth it is clear that everything is related. Equity is related to smart growth, land use, healthy communities, transit, shared fair economic development, climate change, and on and on. It is almost impossible to talk about any of these issues without noting the interrelationship of all of them.
My conclusion, as the person who started the first statewide Smart Growth program in 1996, is that smart growth started in Maryland largely as a limited effort to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Today it is the heart and soul of reducing and eliminating inequity in America.
Reminder: If you listened to part or all of the Summit, we want to hear from you too! Use the form below to share your own personal reflection, and we’ll share some of them in a future post. Stories that are published may be lightly edited for clarity, length, and typos. We’ll try to notify you in advance via email if we publish yours.