Regional Equity ’08: The Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth
Almost 2,000 local, regional, state, and national leaders who have moved from conversation to action to advance the policies that secure social and economic equity for all residents in our communities gathered in New Orleans from March 5-7, 2008 for the Third National Summit on Equitable Development, Social Justice, and Smart Growth.
The Summit offered participants a venue for in-depth exploration of the groundbreaking achievements, innovative strategies, and lasting policies that connect low-income/low-wealth communities to resources and opportunity. In New Orleans, where the world bore painful witness to the lingering inequities this society still faces, we built on the issues that were framed at the Philadelphia Summit in May 2005. Through interactive panels and plenaries, caucuses, and diverse multimedia experiences, we developed a deeper focus on implementation and policy options and examined in depth what regional equity looks like on the ground in communities across the United States.
Our agenda for the 2008 summit included issue-based sessions, a forum for creating a regional equity movement, skills-building trainings, and regional case studies. Summit participants included leaders and advocates from the nonprofit, public policy, philanthropy, business, and academic arenas that share a commitment to full economic and racial inclusion based on the belief that everyone should have the opportunity to participate and prosper in society.
The first summit, held in Los Angeles in November 2002, attracted a diverse group of more than 650 community, policy, and foundation leaders. The second summit, in Philadelphia, had more than 1,300 participants and was characterized by a spirit of engagement and eagerness to explore and apply strategies that promote economic and social equity and in March 2008, that engagement continued to grow as we move together toward achieving an inclusive and just society.
Download Regional Equity and the Quest for Inclusion, the framing paper from Regional Equity '08.