On Thursday, April 21, 2016 Junior Achievement of Greater Washington (JA®) will be partnering with the Center for Global Policy Solutions to support the efforts of the 2016 Color of Wealth Summit that will be hosted at the U.S. Capitol Complex.
The third annual Color of Wealth Summit, themed “The Inclusion Revolution: Race, Economic Mobility, and the Future of America,” will focus on strengthening entrepreneurship in communities of color and on ways to prevent gentrification from displacing existing residents. The summit seeks to engage Members of Congress, Congressional staff, the media, and the public in a dialogue about the racial wealth gap, its effect on marginalized households, its impact on the U.S. economy, and solutions for closing the gap.
The itinerary includes a round-table discussion will explore case studies and research on economic development in low-income communities and will discuss strategies to maintain and strengthen community well being, improve health outcomes, provide equal opportunities, and improve neighborhood safety.
The summit will also feature a Shark-a-Thon session, in which financial service innovators will present their ideas for bringing vulnerable populations into the financial mainstream to a panel of business professionals. The business professionals will critique the concepts and offer feedback. The winner of the Shark-a-Thon session will receive a $10,000 planning grant from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. To view a full itinerary of the Summit’s events, visit this page.
Many community leaders from different sectors of society including the academic sector, the government sector, the financial sector, and the non-profit sector will be in attendance at the event. As of today, the list of confirmed attendees includes:
- Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
- Michael S. Barr, Professor, University of Michigan Law School
- Janis Bowdler, Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase Foundation
- Alejandra Castillo, National Director, Minority Business Development Agency
- Héctor Cordero-Guzmán, Professor, City University of New York
- Gary Cunningham, President and CEO, Metropolitan Economic Development Association
- Connie Evans, President and CEO, Association for Enterprise Opportunity
- Christy Finsel, Executive Director, Oklahoma Native Assets Coalition
- Jerry Nemorin, Founder and CEO, LendStreet
- Jamal Simmons, Principal, The Raben Group
- Patricia Smith, Senior Policy Advisor, The Reinvestment Fund
- Ray Suarez, Host, Inside Story, Al Jazeera America
The event will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center, Congressional Auditorium on the corner of 1st Street and East Capitol Street NE. The Summit is open to the public, free of charge, but tickets must be reserved online. Any questions or concerns about the summit can be directed to Simona Combi, Media Relations Manager for the Center for Global Policy Solutions, at simona@globalpolicysolutions.org or 202-735-0519. Alternatively, follow Junior Achievement of Greater Washington on Twitter @JA_GW for updates on the event or join the conversation online by using the hashtag #InclusionRevolution.
About the 2016 Color of Wealth Summit
The event is hosted by the Center for Global Policy Solutions, a 501(c)(3) think tank and action organization that manages the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative in collaboration with the Insight Center for Community Economic Development and with generous support from the Ford Foundation. The summit has been organized in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. A full list of sponsors and national partners for the 2016 Color of Wealth Summit can be found here.
About the Center for Global Policy Solutions
The Center for Global Policy Solutions is a 501(c)(3) think tank and action organization that labors in pursuit of a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive world in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive in safe and sustainable environments.
Their mission is to make policy work for people and their environments by advancing economic security, health, education, and civic success for vulnerable populations. Their target groups include people of color, women, children and youth, older adults, and low-income populations. In recognition of these overlapping identities and issues, they use an “intersectional” lens to develop policy and program solutions.
With economic inequality growing and health, education, and civic disparities at alarming levels, the organization is committed to promoting equitable outcomes for marginalized populations while strengthening communities, the nation, and the world. Their work is centered in the belief that diversity is not a problem, but the basis of prosperity.