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BLACK RENAISSANCE
19TH ANNUAL BLACK POLICY CONFERENCE
Held April 5-7, 2024
Harvard Kennedy School, CAMBRIDGE
Creating sustainable solutions for issues facing Black communities.
THE CONFERENCE
3
DAYS
300
ATTENDEES
17
SESSIONS
29
SPEAKERS
SESSIONS INCLUDE:
Explore the power of Black philanthropy in shaping a transformative future. This panel delves into leveraging financial resources to support Black visions, discussing strategies, challenges, and the impact of philanthropy on addressing key issues. Join the conversation on driving positive change through targeted investments and community-focused initiatives.
The past decades have seen an incredible series of social movements led by Black people, workers and other people at the margins.There have been key moments in the past five years that have captured the attention of the world including the murder and organizing around the death of George Floyd, the revival of labor led by workers, and many more. This panel will delve into the forces that spark social movements, the people who mobilize such movements and the factors that determine their success or failure. We will dive into the stories of 3 powerful organizers for insight into how we can move forward towards liberation every day, in every way.
The world is rapidly urbanizing, globalizing, and ‘techifying’, causing the lines between race, wealth, knowledge, and access at the local level and on the global stage to blur. Yet institutionally, the global Black community is still on the back foot and fragmented. This panel discusses the systemic barriers and forward-looking opportunities in leveraging the global black community to accelerate growth, wealth, and equality.
Audre Lorde famously said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation and it is an act of political warfare.” Often when we discuss the state of Black communities and the issues impacting us, we leave out mental health. This panel seeks to bring mental health to the center of our discussion by delving into the complexities of cultural nuances, systemic challenges, and resilience concerning mental health in the Black community. The panelists comprise a multitude of backgrounds and fields. From historical trauma to contemporary stressors, we will work to explore strategies for healing, advocacy, and empowerment.
This panel aims to explore the historical significance, contemporary challenges, and future prospects of Black political power and voting rights within the broader context of democracy. Through diverse perspectives and interactive dialogue, attendees will gain insights into the ongoing struggle for equitable representation and the vital role of civic engagement in advancing social and political change.
We are living through volatile and uncertain times. We are witnessing the backlash to Black-led social justice movements gaining prominence and minimum gains towards racial progress and racial justice. At our own institution, we have seen how perilous Black leadership, especially of Black women can be. And still, we rise and choose to lead. This conversation will be an honest discussion about what it takes to lead in the fullness of who we are as Black people and Black women in particular. We have a phenomenal panel of accomplished Black women in politics and media who have fought to make our communities and our country a better place for all.
The racial wealth gap exceeds $10 trillion nationally and has been persistent for decades. The median black household has a net worth of ~$20k, while the median white household wealth is 8x that, approaching an average approaching ~$176k. A Majority of Black households have been unable to build asset-driven wealth. Revenue from black-owned businesses accounts for just 1% of small business revenue, at population parity, it would be 10X+ more.
Locally, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation has estimated that closing the racial wealth gap in Massachusetts could raise the state GDP by $25 billion over the next five years. Closing the racial wealth gap means more money in the system for everyone – regardless of race or ethnicity.
SPONSORED BY
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