This past month has been as exciting a time as I can remember for the equity movement in America. At event after event, I have seen more energy, more fire, more enthusiasm from those working to make this a nation that helps all people participate and prosper.

In the words of my friend Manuel Pastor, This Could be the Start of Something Big.

Three particular events jump out at me:

The Boys and Men of Color conference in Oakland
The Harlem Children’s Zone “Changing the Odds” Conference in New York City
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity conference in Atlanta

To an outsider, these events might seem completely unrelated — one on social justice, one on cyclical poverty, one on childhood obesity. But for those of us in the equity movement, these were watershed events because of the passion, knowledge, and tenets that ran through each of them. The more than 2,000 people who attended these events represent, in many ways, the burgeoning power of our movement.

The speakers and attendees were all there to get their hands dirty doing the hard work of expanding opportunity to all people. They knew this movement takes smarts and drive and determination — and they all brought that to the table from the start. The level of sophistication and know-how on display at each of these events showed me how far our movement has come.

But what was most inspiring was how these ideas that drew thousands of people together are rooted in the innovation of local community leaders. The equity movement has sprouted from the nourishing soil of the communities that are facing these challenges every day.

Together, we have stepped headlong into the breach, replicating and implementing the innovative ideas our cohorts have honed in their own work. The energy is each of these rooms was palpable. You could almost touch it. I have no doubt, something big is starting. I can feel it.

Tags: equity movement

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