An Economic Roadmap for Black America: A Community Conversation
The Presidential election in November is likely to be the most consequential election in the lifetimes of most African-Americans.
Behind the backdrop of a racial wealth gap, health crisis and societal inequities, the presidential election will yield one of two economic development roadmaps for Black America. Both plans make bold promises to deliver equity and justice to people of color.
On August 5, five distinguished thought leaders engage each other and you in a virtual conversation surrounding one of these plans. Be it black homeownership, criminal justice reform or support for black entrepreneurship, the movement for change is now and the change agents are us.
Restoration Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), the nation’s first community development organization, partners with residents and businesses to improve the quality of life in Central Brooklyn. Since 1967, Restoration has been the catalyst for enormous economic, cultural, and educational improvements.
Brooklyn Capital Collective Founded in 2018, BCC’s mission is to provide financial literacy, resources and support across generational lines to communities of color in a proactive approach to addressing the wealth gap in America.
Thought Leaders
Colvin W. Grannum
Colvin is President and CEO of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), the nation’s first community development corporation.
Prior to joining
Restoration in 2001, he was the founding president and CEO of Bridge Street
Development Corporation, a church affiliated community development
corporation. He also practiced law for
more than 17 years, most notably with the U.S. Department of Justice, Verizon,
and the New York City Law Department.
Colvin serves on the
boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carver Federal Savings Bank, Local
Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Billie Holiday Theatre, Inc., New York
City Workforce Development Board, Center for New York City Neighborhoods,
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood
Development Center, Inc. among others.
He is a graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Renee Gregory
Renee Turner Gregory serves as Chief of Diversity and Inclusion in a city criminal justice agency. Renee began her career with the NYC Board of Education as a public- school teacher in the Bedford Stuyvesant and east New York communities. After 18 years of service as an educator, she went on to obtain her law degree. She has practiced criminal law for the past 23 years. Public service is Renee’s passion. She works tirelessly to empower the Brooklyn community on various issues that impact educational and economic opportunities.
Donnell Williams
Donnell Williams serves as the 31st president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. (NAREB), the country’s oldest minority, professional real estate trade group established in 1947 to ensure Democracy in Housing for Black Americans. Williams is also broker-of-record and owner of Destiny Realty, headquartered in Morristown, NJ with a branch office in Newark, NJ. Destiny Realty is one of the largest Black American, independently owned real estate brokerages in New Jersey. Visit www.nareb.com for more information.
Monique Greenwood
Monique Greenwood is owner and CEO of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, a collection of five B&Bs in historic mansions in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; Cape May, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and the Pocono Mountains in PA. The former Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine launched Akwaaba 25 years ago and is also the president of Akwaaba Properties, Inc., an urban retail strip in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. An honors graduate of Howard University, Monique was the first John H. Johnson Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship at her alma mater and she is the author of two best-selling books. Oprah tapped Monique and one of her properties as the subject of a reality show called Checked Inn on OWN.
Erik Range
Erik Range serves as Board Chair for Minorities For Medical Marijuana, a leading voice on public policy, patient advocacy, business development and social justice issues in the cannabis industry. Under his leadership the organization has been recognized as the “Industry Organization of the Year” for 2018 and 2019. Range also provides a variety of consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses and government entities through his consulting firm, RGW & Associates, and as a team member of Higher Yields a Colorado based full service cannabis consulting firm. In 2019, he was appointed to the Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. He also serves as an advisor to the largest cannabis conference in New England, NECANN.
The organizers thank the following sponsors for making this a national conversation:
An Economic Roadmap for Black America: A Community Conversation
The Presidential election in November is likely to be the most consequential election in the lifetimes of most African-Americans.
Behind the backdrop of a racial wealth gap, health crisis and societal inequities, the presidential election will yield one of two economic development roadmaps for Black America. Both plans make bold promises to deliver equity and justice to people of color.
On August 5, five distinguished thought leaders engage each other and you in a virtual conversation surrounding one of these plans. Be it black homeownership, criminal justice reform or support for black entrepreneurship, the movement for change is now and the change agents are us.
The Organizers
Restoration
Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), the nation’s first community development organization, partners with residents and businesses to improve the quality of life in Central Brooklyn. Since 1967, Restoration has been the catalyst for enormous economic, cultural, and educational improvements.
Brooklyn Capital Collective
Founded in 2018, BCC’s mission is to provide financial literacy, resources and support across generational lines to communities of color in a proactive approach to addressing the wealth gap in America.
Thought Leaders
Colvin W. Grannum
Colvin is President and CEO of Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration), the nation’s first community development corporation.
Prior to joining Restoration in 2001, he was the founding president and CEO of Bridge Street Development Corporation, a church affiliated community development corporation. He also practiced law for more than 17 years, most notably with the U.S. Department of Justice, Verizon, and the New York City Law Department.
Colvin serves on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carver Federal Savings Bank, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Billie Holiday Theatre, Inc., New York City Workforce Development Board, Center for New York City Neighborhoods, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and the Bedford Stuyvesant Early Childhood Development Center, Inc. among others.
He is a graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Renee Gregory
Renee Turner Gregory serves as Chief of Diversity and Inclusion in a city criminal justice agency. Renee began her career with the NYC Board of Education as a public- school teacher in the Bedford Stuyvesant and east New York communities. After 18 years of service as an educator, she went on to obtain her law degree. She has practiced criminal law for the past 23 years. Public service is Renee’s passion. She works tirelessly to empower the Brooklyn community on various issues that impact educational and economic opportunities.
Donnell Williams
Donnell Williams serves as the 31st president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. (NAREB), the country’s oldest minority, professional real estate trade group established in 1947 to ensure Democracy in Housing for Black Americans. Williams is also broker-of-record and owner of Destiny Realty, headquartered in Morristown, NJ with a branch office in Newark, NJ. Destiny Realty is one of the largest Black American, independently owned real estate brokerages in New Jersey. Visit www.nareb.com for more information.
Monique Greenwood
Monique Greenwood is owner and CEO of Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, a collection of five B&Bs in historic mansions in Brooklyn, NY; Washington, DC; Cape May, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; and the Pocono Mountains in PA. The former Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine launched Akwaaba 25 years ago and is also the president of Akwaaba Properties, Inc., an urban retail strip in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. An honors graduate of Howard University, Monique was the first John H. Johnson Endowed Chair for Entrepreneurship at her alma mater and she is the author of two best-selling books. Oprah tapped Monique and one of her properties as the subject of a reality show called Checked Inn on OWN.
Erik Range
Erik Range serves as Board Chair for Minorities For Medical Marijuana, a leading voice on public policy, patient advocacy, business development and social justice issues in the cannabis industry. Under his leadership the organization has been recognized as the “Industry Organization of the Year” for 2018 and 2019. Range also provides a variety of consulting and advisory services to individuals, businesses and government entities through his consulting firm, RGW & Associates, and as a team member of Higher Yields a Colorado based full service cannabis consulting firm. In 2019, he was appointed to the Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. He also serves as an advisor to the largest cannabis conference in New England, NECANN.
The organizers thank the following sponsors for making this a national conversation:
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