WATCH: How Black Leaders Are Creating Equity in America
Host Alisa Gumbs wraps up this four part series with a conversation on how Robin Hood and Prosperity Now are supporting mobility
Earlier this year, Capital One launched On the Clock in partnership with Black Enterprise — a four-part virtual podcast series hosted by Alisa Gumbs, featuring interviews that unpack equity as a tool to drive change in communities from diverse backgrounds.
In our final episode of the series, Capital One’s head of Community Impact and Investing, Kerone Vatel joins Gary Cunningham, President and CEO of Prosperity Now, and Hana Haile Mariam, Director at Robin Hood, to discuss their organization’s efforts to bridge gaps in socioeconomic mobility and how partnerships with corporations can help fuel their mission.
“Mobility is at the core of what we do at Robin Hood,” Mariam said. “We’re ensuring that we’re putting New Yorkers on a path to economic mobility and creating permanent pathways out of poverty that can protect them from life occurrences that often force people into poverty.”
At Capital One, we embrace the idea that by advancing the economic and social opportunities in the communities in which we operate, we can advance business outcomes while helping people thrive. We believe disparities in housing, education and employment, among other key factors, create inequities in a person’s financial health and overall well-being, and that obtaining socioeconomic mobility is powered by inclusion and access to opportunity.
"What we need to be sure of today is that we're building a world and a place for African Americans and people of color to have the ability — that if they do the right thing and work hard — to fully participate in our systems and structures," Cunningham said. "I would argue that that is not true today — that our social contract has been broken and so we need to reestablish that social contract. There are some good things on the horizon, as corporations have come together and said we don't just need to serve shareholders, we need to have a commitment to everyone in our community. Those investments are just starting and we have a long way to go."
Each episode has featured perspectives from experts, community partners and changemakers to discuss the importance ensuring equal access to socioeconomic mobility:
- Equity in America
- Leveraging Black Influence in the Workplace
- Unique Challenges Facing Black Entrepreneurs
- How Black Leaders Are Creating Equity in America
Watch the full episode here.