Registration and continental breakfast opens at 8 a.m.

The Greenlining Institute President and CEO Debra Gore-Mann welcomes Summit attendees to Oakland, California.

As advocates in the fight for racial equity, we stand on the shoulders of giants, and we continue to build on their progress to work towards a more just future not yet realized. For generations, we fought to gain a seat at the table, and now that we have a platform, what can we achieve with that power? What lessons can we learn from previous generations to take into the fights to come?

Join us for the first conversation of the Just Future Summit and hear from trailblazer Dolores Huerta who will bring her wit and wisdom to the table, as well as fierce new leader Olivia Julianna with fresh ideas for where we can take the movement for racial equity.

Speakers

- Dolores Huerta, Founder & President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation
- Olivia Julianna, Activist and Political Strategies
- Olga Talamante, Board Vice-Chair of the Chicana Latina Foundation

Over the last decade, we have seen historic progress in our movements to build power by and for communities of color. We are seeding change in every sphere from public office to the workplace to major institutions. At the same time, we need to strengthen our alignment not only across movements but also within our organizations. Together, we need to confront entrenched barriers that deny us our full potential and erode our optimism. This session will delve into the tough questions: How do we build the relationships, power, and systems needed to fuel our movements? How do we center joy as we ready ourselves to push back against the harms we confront, and critique our missteps to build the new, the equitable, and the good? Ultimately, how do we build the sustainable movements needed to realize our visions for a more just future?

Panelists

- Maurice Mitchell, Organizer, Director of the Working Families Party
- Linda Sarsour, Racial and Civil Rights Activist; Author of "We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love & Resistance"
- Solana Rice, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Liberation in a Generation

The Road Towards an Equitable and Transformative Mobility Future

It’s 2045 and we’ve succeeded in transforming our transportation sector to meet the transportation and mobility needs of our communities. Through federal and state policies, zero-emission passenger vehicles are accessible and affordable. All trucks and buses operating in and around our communities are zero-emissions. We created workforce opportunities that provide access to the green economy with family-sustaining wages. Our communities have alternative mobility options that reduce the need for single-passenger vehicle ownership. Our transit system is free, reliable and dependable. Is this transportation future possible?

Existing policies have set the foundation for this vision but it will require innovative and transformative thinking to help us get there. This session will bring together decision-makers and community leaders to explore how we realize this vision through government and community partnership. We will discuss what strategies, investments, and programs are still needed to advance a transportation and mobility future that prioritizes the needs of low-income communities of color and delivers direct economic and environmental benefits.

Moderator: Roman Partida-Lopez, Senior Legal Counsel, Transportation Equity, The Greenlining Institute

Panelists:

Patty Monahan, California Energy Commission Commissioner
Martha Guzman, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 Regional Administrator
Liane Randolph, Chair of the California Air Resources Board

Equity Solutions or Problems? Emerging Technologies in a Just Clean Energy Transition

As the country decarbonizes its energy sector, how do we ensure the climate solutions being developed actually benefit communities at the frontlines of climate change? Conversations on clean energy have shifted from only wind and solar to now considering alternative methods of reducing emissions like carbon capture, non-lithium battery storage, and green hydrogen. These types of emerging clean energy technologies must be considered through a racial equity lens to ensure they do not replicate the same socioeconomic and environmental inequities that the fossil fuel industry created. This panel brings together thought leaders and experts in the energy justice space to hear their vision for a just clean energy future, discuss the equity implications of these emerging technologies, and share examples of clean energy solutions that work for communities now. We will have an interactive Q&A and time for individual and small group reflection on the role of emerging technologies in a just clean energy transition.

Panelists:

Fatima Abdul-Khabir, Program Manager, Energy Equity, The Greenlining Institute
Sneha Ayyagari, Program Manager, Clean Energy Initiative, The Greenlining Institute

Speakers:

Angelica Wright, Tribal Education and Workforce Manager, GRID Alternatives
Michelle Kinman, SVP of Market Transformation, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator
Sylvia Chi, Senior Policy Analyst, Just Solutions Collective
Mariela Loera, Eastern Coachella Valley Regional Policy Manager, Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability

The Future of Green Financing

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is spurring historic public and private sector investments in green infrastructure. What does this mean for communities, businesses, and financial institutions? Come to this session to learn about the Environmental Protection Agency's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Hear from leaders at Dream.Org, African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, Coalition for Green Capital, and Elemental Excelerator about the opportunities and challenges to building an inclusive, green economy and the role of partnerships and networks.


Moderator: Jessie Buendia, Vice President of Sustainability at Dream.Org, National Director at Green For All

Panelists:

William Barber, Chief Consultant Environmental Justice and Equity, Coalition for Green Capital
Gwendy Brown, Senior Policy Advisor, Elemental Exclerator
Deneine Powell, Environmental and Climate Program Director, African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs

Making Equity Real: How Banks Can Move Beyond Commitments to Create Change in Communities of Color

In the midst of increased bank consolidation and recent regional bank collapses, we must create a culture of accountability from banks through community-based commitments to increase investments in communities of color. This interactive session will explore how banks can work with communities towards building a more just economy by embedding racial equity into their practices, and using their power and resources to address economic disparities. Speakers will show how to apply a racial equity framework to bank commitments, provide resources for developing their own community benefit agreements with banks and answer the question: what must a bank prioritize and commit to in order to make equity real? In addition, we will highlight the impacts of community benefit agreements we’ve negotiated which have made better considerations for addressing racial equity (such as negotiating with community, having measurable goals, being specific, etc).

Moderator: Erin Kilmer-Neel, Executive Director + Chief Impact Officer, Beneficial State Bank

Panelists:

Carolyn Johnson, CEO, Black Cultural Zone
Christopher M. Brown, SVP, U.S. Community & Business Engagement, CitiGroup
Catherine Petrus, Senior CRA Manager, National Community Reinvestment Coalition

Infusing Equity Into Capital Access for Entrepreneurs

Flexible and equitable access to capital for entrepreneurs and small businesses is critical to address systemic barriers, promote economic empowerment, foster innovation, reduce the racial wealth gap and build a more inclusive economy. However, according to a report by the Minority Business Development Agency, BIPOC businesses are 3x more likely to be denied loans compared to white owned firms, while small business owners of color are also much less likely to have a banking relationship prior to the pandemic including: 31% of Black, 28% AAPI, and 26% of Latino owners. It's time to solve this problem - together.
In this interactive breakout session, panelists will explore what can be done to support equitable lending. Participants will unpack how to infuse equity into underwriting policies and explore the role that local, state, and federal governments should play to modernize solutions. Using practical, in the field experience, we will identify opportunities to successfully infuse equity in lending. If you value small businesses of color and their ability to scale, this session is for you!

Moderator: Mercedes Gibson, Program Manager, Economic Equity Strategy, The Greenlining Institute

Panelists:

Bianca Blomquist, California Policy Director & Northern California Outreach Director, Small Business Majority
Dianna Tremblay, Chief Program + Strategic Initiatives Office, Inner City Advisors
Tate Hill, President, Access Plus Capital

Closing the Gap: Implementing Race-Conscious Solutions for Building Homeownership

Inequality lingers. Racial and ethnic homeownership gaps are as large today as when redlining and other forms of housing discrimination were legal. Homeownership remains elusive for far too many people of color because the financial services system was not constructed to serve communities of color; it was designed to exclude them. Until we completely dismantle unfair systems and replace them with equitable solutions, communities are innovating ways to be more targeted with credit opportunities and homeownership-related resources to acknowledge centuries of systemic racism in our housing and financial systems. Join us to learn about two types of race conscious programs that are closing the homeownership gap in concrete and specific ways: Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs), an underutilized tool for lenders to further racial equity; and first-generation down payment assistance programs, which focus on homebuyers who lack the advantage of generational wealth as they seek to purchase homes.

Moderator: Laurie Benner, Associate Vice President of Housing and Community Development, National Fair Housing Alliance

Panelists:

Gabe del Rio, Chairman and CEO, Homeownership Council of America
Anthonina Fenelon, Director of STASH, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance

Envisioning a More Equitable Future: Supporting the Economic Security of Undocumented Immigrants

Approximately 20% of all Californians under age 18 are either undocument or leave with someone who is. Their economic security impacts both their direct families as well as the broader community. Studies on the longer-term effects of economic security programs for children have been linked to fewer health issues, improved education outcomes, and greater economic mobility in adulthood.
Despite deep contributions to the labor market, the economy and to local communities, historic xenophobia and racism has led to harmful exclusionary policies that prohibit undocumented individuals from realizing economic security.


This session will:
- Explore the harmful impact of historic and current exclusionary policies and systems on undocumented immigrants.
- Elevate policy solutions to ensure that all immigrants have equitable access to public benefits and economic supports to ensure economic security, mobility, dignity, and voice.
- Highlight the role funders and policy advocates can play in this work.

Moderator: Mona Masri, Senior Director, Asset Funders Network

Panelists:
Sasha Feldstein, Director, Economic Policy, California Immigrant Policy Center
Jose Quinonez, Founder & CEO Mission Asset Fund
Kimberley Alvarenga, Director, California Domestic Workers Coalition
Joanna Cortez Hernandez, Advocacy & Engagement Director, Mission Asset Fund

10 Years of California Climate Investments: An Equity Analysis and Lessons for this Moment

Since 2013, California has implemented over $10B of climate investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, produce health and environmental benefits, and center disadvantaged communities in the process. What have been the outcomes of these investments? Who did they serve and what lessons can be gleaned for other investments such as federal Justice 40 programs, to ensure they benefit the communities with greatest needs towards transitioning into a just future?
In this discussion, we will share lessons learned from an equity analysis of the California Climate Investments built upon analyses of implementation data, interviews with environmental justice advocates and other stakeholders, case studies of notable programs, as well as community focus groups.

Moderator: Lolly Lim, Program Manager, Climate Investment Research, The Greenlining Institute


Panelists:
Vanessa Carter Fahnestock, Project Manager, USC Equity Research Institute

Towards Joy and Resilience: How We Sustain Our Movements

This session will follow the Opening Plenary on Centering Joy to Sustain our Movements. Although we are in the midst of multiple crises and heightened organizational tensions, many organizations and leaders have been experimenting with different sustainability practices from organizational culture, staff development to salary and benefits. This breakout session will be a facilitated peer-to-peer discussion to hear best practices and lessons of how to center joy to sustain our movements.


Speakers:
Alex T. Tom, Executive Director, Center for Empowered Politics Education Fund
Malkia Devich-Cyril, Writer, Public Speaker and Award Winning Activist
Vanessa Moses, Program Director, Center for Empowered Politics

Community Resilience Hubs: Climate Adaptation, Mitigation, Preparedness and Equity

Increasing climate disasters have led to a greater need for community resilience hubs that serve as a space to coordinate resource distribution and emergency response services, and help build climate resilience and adaptation. In this session, we will hear directly from speakers about how they are integrating wellness, cultural services, and racial equity while ensuring communities of color are prepared to meet, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. This session will bring together leaders who are reimagining the function of traditional community resilience and mobility centers and strengthening frontline communities.

Panelists will answer questions such as:
- What is a community resilience hub, and why are they needed?
- How can resilience hubs advance community resilience as part of climate resilience?
- How can Wellness and Resilience Hubs be integrated?
- How can we design hubs that meet the transportation needs and reflect the cultural identities of the community?

Moderator: Yesenia Perez, Program Manager, Climate Equity, The Greenlining Institute
Panelists:
Megan Richards, Community Resilience Program Manager, East Community Network
Olatunji Oboi Reed, President & CEO, Equiticity
Lisa Hu, Community Resilience Centers Program Analyst, Strategic Growth Council

What Does it Take to Operationalize Equity?

The federal government is two years into the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which requires that 40% of the overall benefits of specific federal investments flow to targeted communities that have been marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will explore how the federal government is infusing Energy Equity and Environmental Justice (EEEJ) into programming, and the impact and opportunities these efforts can present for communities. The panel will provide a deep dive into how DOE approaches EEEJ, the different funding mechanisms and processes communities can leverage, and best practices for partnering with the federal government. The panel will also discuss some of EERE’s premier equity centered programs including, the Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize, Community Power Accelerator, Buildings UP, Hydrogen HUBs, and The MSI STEM Research & Development Consortium.

Moderator: Kelly Crawford, US Department of Energy - Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

From Puerto Rico to Alaska…Reimagining Energy as a Tool for Liberation

A balanced energy system that nourishes our bodies, keeps the lights on, and contributes to a thriving future is a critical component of a just future for all. As the movement led by communities across the country grows, more and more people are acknowledging energy as a liberatory tool. Join us to explore new ways to pull back the curtain on the ongoing systemic barriers that block resiliency, safety, and health.
In this interactive session, attendees will engage with a new narrative wherein energy is not simply a commodity, but a shared resource of our communities, and a tool for advancing justice and empowerment.

Join us if you:

- Have faced rate hikes in your power bill
- Have been impacted by climate change or environmental pollution from industries
- Believe that it’s time for communities to have decision-making power in a future that puts people, not profits, first
Moderator: Selena Feliciano, Energy Democracy Project

Panelists:
Crystal Huang, Co-Founder and CEO, People Power Solar Cooperative. Energy Democracy Project
Shaina Nanavati, Research Organizer,Reclaim our Power: Utility Justice Campaign
Jessica Tovar, Lead Organizer, Local Clean Energy Alliance

By All Means Necessary: Combatting Racist Housing Legacies through Innovations and Actions

How can we fix the ever-changing housing crisis built on more than a century of deliberate racial and economic exclusion and disinvestment? The reality is that no single solution is able to address the multifaceted problems we face today. Redlining's legacy has entrenched deep inequities in access to housing, while maintaining segregation across the country. What communities of color need now are innovative policies and race-conscious programs that root out the persistent impact of racism and lingering legacy of redlining. This session will feature a panel of experts and advocates who will discuss recent initiatives and practices that can reshape the tools we have to close our affordable housing and homeownership gaps, including new models for social housing, critical financing tools, and community-based actions we can take together to help end residential segregation.

Moderator: Holden Weisman, Senior Director, Economic Equity, The Greenlining Institute
Panelists:
Monet Boyd, Senior Planner, BARHII/Black HAT

Leah Rothstein, Co-Author of Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law
Cashauna Hill, Executive Director, The Redress Movement
Nikkita Oliver, Executive Director of Creative Justice, Movement lawyer at the Lavender Rights Project, Adjunct Professor at Seattle University Law School, and House Our Neighbors Steering Committee member

Embedding Equity into AI and Automated Decision Systems

We’ve seen too many examples about how artificial intelligence and automated systems can perpetuate discrimination and redlining but less attention is paid to how these systems can build equity and economic opportunity for communities of color. This panel will examine how we can advance equity in automated systems and AI through the use of alternative data, such as on race or gender, or through systems that prioritize resources for, and investment in marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Underwriting through a Racial Equity Lens

In this interactive session, speakers will equip participants with background information on how and why our current underwriting systems perpetuate and exacerbate racial inequality. We’ll discuss historic and current laws, policies, and approaches, as well as the biases and power dynamics at play in underwriting. Participants will then have the opportunity to apply this information as we work through scenarios involving Black and white borrowers to explore how current approaches can lead to inequitable outcomes. Attendees will discuss new approaches to more fairly assess and provide credit. Together the group will share their ideas and learnings, discuss what changes we need to see in our industry, and brainstorm how to help integrate these changes. This session builds on learning from Beneficial State Foundation’s Underwriting for Racial Justice program. No experience with underwriting is necessary to participate.
Speakers:
Erin Kilmer Neel, Executive Director, Beneficial State Foundation
Shannan Herbert, Executive Vice President of Inclusive Credit, Stratyfy Systems Change

“Bluelining”: The Latest Frontier of Climate Financial Discrimination

“Bluelining” is the latest frontier of financial discrimination. As financial institutions rightfully begin to consider climate-related risk in their decision-making and activities, there is already evidence that insurance, credit, and banking services in climate vulnerable communities is beginning to be withdrawn. This session will examine this practice of bluelining and its relationship to past redlining practices and what we see occurring in climate vulnerable communities today. The session will conclude with recommendations for financial regulators and policy makers to take action to ensure equitable access to financial services.

Moderator: Monica Palmeira, Climate Finance Strategist, The Greenlining Institute

Panelists:
Ricardo Lara, California Insurance Commissioner
Kevin Hill, Senior Policy Advisor, National Community Reinvestment Coalition
Jessica Garcia, Climate Finance Policy Analyst, Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund

Solidarity Economics: Mutuality, Movements, & Momentum

Solidarity economics offers a vision towards a more robust, sustainable, and equitable economy – grounded in connection and community. It insists on three things. One, that it is our economy, not an immutable set of natural laws. Two, that mutuality is key to an economy that can generate prosperity, provide for all, and preserve the planet. And, three, that getting there will require building power to stop those who are profiting from the current system. For more: https://solidarityeconomics.org/
This workshop will share about Solidarity Economics as a tool for organizers and allies. It will offer guideposts for economic conversations inside organizations and across the movement. It will offer a framework that helps to name the failings of neoliberal and liberal economics as well as offering narrative ideas. This will be less of a “teach in” and more of a “discuss in” between presenter and audience.

Speakers:
Ashley Thomas, Project Manager, USC Equity Research Institute

Working Well: The Importance of Self-Nurturing in Creating Lasting Societal Change

This moderated panel discussion will focus on the importance of maintaining health and self-care practices for individuals advancing racial equity. Those at the forefront of the fight for justice and equity often experience chronic stress due to the emotional toll of their work. Chronic stress can have significant negative impacts on physical health and personal relationships, including weakened immune systems and increased risk of chronic diseases. Prioritizing self-care and seeking support from others becomes crucial to managing the emotional and physical toll. The panelists will share their own experiences and discuss how self-care and community care practices can sustain activists and organizers in their pursuit of justice. They will also explore the intersectionality of racial justice work, recognizing the influence of varying identities and experiences on self-care practices. The session highlights opportunities for coalition building and offers resources and tools to prioritize health and incorporate self-care into daily life.
Moderator: Leisel Whitlock-Petersen (She/Her), Principal, LTWP Consulting

Panelists:
Lenore Anderson (She/Her), Co-founder and President, Alliance for Safety and Justice
Brian Martin, (He/Him), Founder, BriSTAR Collective

W. Kamau Bell is an award winning stand-up comedian, director, and executive producer. Alicia Garza is the author of The Purpose of Power, Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter, and Principal at Black Futures Lab. They both know a thing or two about race in America and they pull no punches when it comes to sharing their observations and analysis.

Together, their thought-provoking critiques, hilarious wit, and razor-sharp insight into this country’s relationship with race will captivate and inspire our audience. You don’t want to miss this conversation with some of the leading racial equity thinkers of our time.

Join us for a light breakfast and networking before Day 2 sessions begin.

Mayor Sheng Thao welcomes attendees back to Day 2 of the conference in Oakland.

Join Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Deputy Director Zixta Martinez and Greenlining’s President and CEO Debra Gore-Mann for a conversation about the role of the CFPB in supporting wealth-building in communities of color, and the need for a strong and independent CFPB in protecting low-income consumers.

Learn about the dangerous efforts to water down the CFPB and the work being done to maintain CFPB’s status as a watchdog cracking down on illegal discrimination against people of color.

Not only is the media a tool to help amplify the work of movement building and social change, it’s crucial for a healthy, functioning, and multiracial democracy. But, too often the media gets the story wrong, proliferates harmful or inaccurate narratives, or eliminates critical nuance, especially when it comes to stories about people of color or racial equity.
Join us for a discussion with members of the media and experts on narrative change to discuss the role of advocacy organizations in helping to strengthen a healthy media environment, and therefore a healthy democracy; and explore how we can cultivate powerful messages on race that can lead to transformational change using media as a tool.

Panelists:

Julia B. Chan, editor-in-chief of The 19th
Cecilia Lei, executive producer and host of ‘Fifth & Mission’
Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, reporter, editor, and author

Inked with Intent: Crafting Meaningful MOUs for Collaborative Governance

In order to create a more just future, we must correct the current governance system that is built on extraction and exclusion, to instead be rooted in community ownership. Our communities must be centered in the decision-making processes that shape our lives and neighborhoods. This requires shifting traditional hierarchies and finding new ways to collaborate to achieve greater collective impact. When grounded by equity and community leadership, we can build power and strength through collaboration. We also acknowledge the challenges of collaboration--working in coalition can be really hard.
In this interactive session, you will create a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines how a multi-stakeholder group will work together to advance a community vision. You will work with fellow Just Future Summit attendees to answer these questions

- How do we stand up collaborative governance?
- What are the ingredients that lead to equitable and impactful processes and outcomes?
- How do we upend traditional hierarchies to be rooted in collaboration?
Facilitators:

Emi Wang, Director, Capacity Building, The Greenlining Institute
Aminah Luqman, Program Manager, Capacity Building, The Greenlining Institute
Morokot Uy, Program Manager, Capacity Building, The Greenlining Institute

National Equity Atlas and Data Equity

The National Equity Atlas (NEA) provides robust, disaggregated data along with equity framing and promising strategies, and is a tool for leaders working to create a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient communities. In this session participants will learn about the National Equity Atlas’ approach to data equity in developing analyses and working with community-based organizations to advance equitable policies. Participants will learn how to use the Atlas as a tool for finding disaggregated data and local strategies to support their work. Participants are invited to bring their laptops for a live demonstration.
Facilitators:

Simone Robbennolt, Associate, Bay Area Equity Atlas
Michelle Huang, Associate, Bay Area Equity Atlas

Participatory Budgeting for a Just Future

Participatory Budgeting gives communities the power to directly decide how city funds are spent. This panel brings together three practitioners involved in the implementation of recent Participatory Budgeting processes in three California jurisdictions: the City of Sacramento, Marin County, and the City of Los Angeles. They will speak to the opportunities, challenges, and insights they encountered while working to facilitate community-led processes driving racial justice, equity, and resource redistribution in collaborative partnerships with residents and local advocacy organizations.

Moderator: Michael Cusack, Technical Assistance Project Manager, Participatory Budgeting Project


Speakers:

Telitha Floyd, Community Organizer, Sacramento ACT
Jamillah Jordan, Equity Director, County of Marin

Megan Castillo, ReImagine LA Coalition Coordinator, La Defensa

Join us in the Main Hall for a boxed lunch and networking.

Closing Plenary: Dreaming a Just Future into Being Achieving a just future demands that we look beyond the crises plaguing our communities and tap into our collective visions, dreams, and experiences to build a liberatory future for ourselves. We will hear from leading thinkers and activists that are pushing the limits of our imagination and working to build the just future that we all deserve. Panelists will explore the foundational ideas and values driving their vision, discuss the power of storytelling, and the role each of us can play to realize justice now.
Panelists

- Mia Birdsong, Author, Executive Director of Next River: An Institute For Practicing the Future
- Nwamaka Agbo, CEO of the Kataly Foundation & Managing Director of the Restorative Economies Fund
- Quinton Sankofa, Co-Director, Movement Generation