Scholars, Community Leaders Examine the Racial Wealth Gap at Lender Center Symposium in Atlanta
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Nationally noted author, activist and philanthropic strategy advisor Edgar Villaneuva joined Syracuse University faculty and Atlanta community, business and government leaders June 4 for the latest Lender Center for Social Justice symposium examining the racial wealth gap.
“Closing the Racial Wealth Gap: Public, Private and Philanthropic Collaborations” centered on how a plan of targeted, intentional philanthropy can help bridge racial wealth disparities and lead to the practical implementation of economic equity. Taking part in the discussion were Syracuse faculty members who have been studying the causes of and solutions to the racial wealth gap in America, Lender Center leaders and MetLife Foundation officials. Also involved were several local business leaders who have supported the Atlanta community by investing in innovation and startup businesses, neighborhood revitalization and historic preservation.
Villaneuva discussed the need for reparations to Black and Native American communities and efforts by his Decolonizing Wealth Project to create racial equity through education and “radical reparative giving.” The discussion was led by alumna Angela Y. Robinson ’78, director of operations for the National Association of Black Journalists.
A roundtable discussion featuring community leaders followed. Participating were alumnus Thomas R. Boyle ’83 of Fourth Ward Neighbors; Brendan Doherty, an Atlanta housing commissioner and founder of The Same House; Cheneé Joseph, president and CEO of Historic District Development Corporation; and Jodi Merriday, ombudsman for neighborhoods for the City of Atlanta. Additional participants were Syracuse University Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives Marcelle Haddix and Lender Center Interim Director Kendall Phillips. Closing remarks were provided by David Edwards, policy advisor for neighborhoods for the City of Atlanta and director of the Center for Urban Research at Georgia Tech University.
The event was part of an ongoing initiative of the Lender Center to examine the racial wealth gap in America and identify solutions to mitigate its impact. In nearly two years, the work has resulted in symposia and community conversations in Syracuse, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta; funding for nine faculty research projects; and the creation of three postdoctoral fellowships. The center also formed a racial wealth gap thought leader advisory group composed of 15 notable business and community leaders and scholars from universities across the U.S. Those steps have been made possible by a $2.7 million grant from MetLife Foundation that was awarded in fall 2022.
Kira Reed, senior research associate at the Lender Center for Social Justice, left, greets guest speaker Edgar Villaneuva for the Atlanta convening of a conversation about the racial wealth gap in America. Villaneuva advocates for the use of intentional philanthropy to provide economic racial equity.Kendall Phillips, far left, interim director of the Lender Center, hosts the group of roundtable panelists for a question-answer segment.A large audience gathered for the third conversation hosted by the Lender Center for Social Justice and supported by MetLife Foundation to discuss causes of and potential solutions for the racial wealth gap in America. The event was held at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta. Roundtable panelists (at left) were Brendan Doherty, an Atlanta housing commissioner and founder of The Same House; Jodi Merriday, ombudsman for neighborhoods for the City of Atlanta; Angela Y. Robinson ’78, of the National Association of Black Journalists; Cheneé Joseph, president and CEO of Historic District Development Corporation; and Thomas R. Boyle ’83 of Atlanta community group Fourth Ward Neighbors.Robinson, left, hosts Villaneuva’s talk with the audience.Roundtable panelists included Atlanta investors, business leaders and neighborhood advocates, from left, Brendan Doherty, Jodi Merriday, Cheneé Joseph, Thomas R. Boyle ’83 and David Edwards.A number of alumni participated in and attended the racial wealth gap conversation. Thomas R. Boyle ’83, center, was a roundtable panelist. He is involved in the Atlanta historic preservation association Fourth Ward Neighbors.Charlie Pettigrew, right, MetLife Foundation representative, chats with guests at the event reception. They include Vicki Brackens (left), president of Brackens Financial Solutions Network, LLC of Syracuse; and University staff members Peter Cronin (second from left) vice president in Advancement and External Affairs; Stephanie Walgamott (center), director of regional development/South; and Rachel Vassel (right), associate vice president, multicultural advancement. A MetLife Foundation grant supports the racial wealth gap community conversations and other research initiatives.Alumnus Jonathan Olens ’15, center, was among the attendees.Alumnus Jonathan Olens ’15, center, was among the attendees.Faculty who have received Lender Center Racial Wealth Gap research grants also were present. At left is Willie Reddic, Whitman School of Management; and at right, Laverne Gray, School of Information Studies. At center is Kristen Barnes, of the College of Law, a member of the Racial Wealth Gap initiative’s thought leader advisory group.Lender Center for Social Justice Thought Leader Advisory Group members Pablo Mitnik (left), of the University of Michigan Center for Inequality Dynamics, and Gregory Price (right), minority and emerging business faculty member in the Department of Economics and Finance at the University of New Orleans are joined by Hannibal Newsom (center), assistant professor in Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and Lender Center research project grantee.The Lender Center Racial Wealth Gap initiative’s three postdoctoral associates also attended. From left are Yvonne Christophe, Mauricio Mercado and J Coley.
