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How does community development take this moment to stretch our thinking and work for deeper impact on racial and social equity?

Join national commentator on race, structural inequality and education Dr. Andre Perry and activist and spokeswoman Jamira Burley for PACDC’s second Forward Equitable Development Conference Conversation as we explore this question in our collective efforts to remake the world into the place we need it to be and how community development may be the country’s only and best way to get there. Rhode Scholar Anea Moore will facilitate this conversation.

Learn more about Anea Moore, Jamira Burley, and Dr. Perry here. 

The morning conversation will wrap up at 11:45 am, and concurrent workshops that follow will conclude at 1:30 pm.

Concurrent Workshops (12:00 – 1:30):

Adding Inclusion to Philadelphia’s OhSoWhite Development and Construction Industry

Philadelphia’s rate of inclusion in the real estate and construction industry for women and minority businesses continues to lag behind neighboring cities and states including New York, Maryland, Washington DC, and Atlanta, GA.  Many local institutions and the City tout inclusion rates of 25% – 38%.  A further look at the numbers for Black and Latino businesses reveal paid out contracts in the 2.5% range, in a City that is closer to 55% minority.  The community development and non-profit sectors have fared no better.  This workshop will look at specific steps and best practices to address current disparities.  Learn practical and transferable steps to include diversity and inclusion in hiring, promotion, vending, bidding, contracting, and procurement.  Workshop leaders:  Blane F Stoddart, President and CEO, BFW Construction Project Managers; J’nelle Lawrence, MBA, PAGE Director, Economy League of Greater Philadelphia.

Community Impact through Arts and Cultural Engagement

This session will highlight Mill Creek Community Project’s Fine Art Through Our Eyes Community Arts Initiative.  Participants will explore the process, experiences, and impact of communal asset leveraging between Philadelphia community based artists, cultural bearers, and entrepreneurs of color who live, work, teach, and commit to using art as a launch pad to community engagement and impact.  The presenters will share examples of lessons learned through the acquisition of the FATOE ArtBUS, its engagement practices, and creative place-making expansion.  Discussion topics will cover embracing creative capital innovation, communal asset mapping, trauma and healing centered arts, grassroots sustainability, capacity building and its challenges. We will also hear examples of how to create a community based arts/cultural asset map and options for brokering equitable growth opportunities.  Workshop leaders:  Jerry Puryear artist/educator; Cass Green, community engagement practitioner, co-founder of MCCP and Director of Fine Art Through Our Eyes Community Arts Initiative; Sedakial Gebremedhin of Traction Company; and Jean and Joyce Bevins, founders of Eli Lu Entertainment.

Real Estate Strategies for Neighborhood Preservation

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) will address how providing commercial mortgages to small businesses and community development organizations will drive the growth and renewal of Philadelphia’s commercial corridors, build and preserve stronger neighborhoods, and expand access to economic growth and opportunity for a broader segment of our population — especially for people of color, women, and others with high barriers to accessing financing.  In this session, we will explore the impact of PIDC’s Commercial Mortgage Loan as a prime example for real estate strategies for neighborhood preservation.  This session will begin with an interactive audience poll to gauge the audience’s connection to the subject, followed by a case study featuring a PIDC client, a panel discussion, and audience Q&A. Workshop leaders:  Arthur Gimenez, Director of Business Development, PIDC; David Simms, Owner, Eatable Delights; and Miguel Peralta Rodriguez, Owner, Corner Food Market.

Thank you to PACDC’s 2020 Signature Events Series Sponsors and the following funders for their support of this event: City of Philadelphia Division of Housing and Community Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Knight Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

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Contributions to the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non-profit corporation, are tax deductible as allowed by law.  The official registration and financial information for PACDC may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania 1(800) 732-0999.  Registration does not imply endorsement