James Perry, J.D.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Winston-Salem Urban League
Twitter: @jameshperry
We all have a story to tell. But until recently, only a privileged few had the power and the platform to share people’s stories. They not only decided whose stories were told but how. Today, affordable technology and the rise of social media have democratized the communications landscape—and changed the rules. Today, the people have the power.
Shari Runner
President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League
Twitter: @ChiUrbanLeague
After more than 100 years of service, the Chicago Urban League is a well-known entity in many circles, but it is not uncommon for Black Chicagoans to have little knowledge of the actual work of the organization. In fact, it is not uncommon for Black Americans to have little knowledge or an antiquated view of the work of the Urban League movement in general.
Judson W. Robinson III
President & Chief Executive Officer, Houston Area Urban League
Twitter: @HouUrbanLeague
Over the past 50 years, we have seen immense changes and improvements in technology—from cell phones and the internet becoming commonplace in the 1990s to social media becoming the norm in the early 2000s. Over the last decade, the Houston Area Urban League has had to adjust with the times and make a seemingly inevitable transition, transforming into a digital agency that utilizes emerging technology to communicate with stakeholders and serve our community.
Melanie L. Campbell
President & CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Convener, Black Women’s Roundtable
Twitter: @coalitionbuildr
Black women are making indelible marks in the technology industry as leaders, entrepreneurs and influencers in the nation’s digital economy and are leading advocates for digital justice. From government to business, public interest to grassroots organizing—Black women are making a significant impact in changing the face of tech from a “white-males only club” to one that reflects and embraces the disruptive innovation that diversity and inclusion brings to the industry.
John C. Yang
President & Executive Director
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Twitter: @johncyangdc
We are on the advent of significant technological progress where machines and systems will make decisions based on learning from examples and concrete data sets. The positive implication of building processes on algorithms is that technology companies will have the ability to build better digital applications that interact with human-made objects, such as photos and online searches. The first step in creating an algorithm requires providing a program with lots and lots of data. However, when data is completely lacking for a community of color, this group simply does not exist in the digital space.
Janet Murguía
President & CEO, UnidosUS
Twitter: @JMurguia_Unidos
UnidosUS has been a proud partner of the National Urban League for many years. What unites us is a common goal of equality and justice for all and a common mission of improving opportunities for the communities we represent. Our work together has focused not only on ensuring civil and voting rights and ending discrimination, but also on achieving full economic opportunity for the 48 million African Americans and 58 million Latinos who call this country home.
Derrick Johnson
President & CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Twitter: @DerrickNAACP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been a sustaining voice throughout its 109-year history for justice, equal opportunity, and an end to discrimination. Many have tried to silence our voice. Many have failed. Still, the fight continues.
Vanita Gupta
President & CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund
Twitter: @civilrightsorg
Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau undertakes a massive effort to count every person living in the United States. Because African Americans are among the groups of people who have historically been undercounted, and because an undercount can deprive communities of political representation as well as urgently needed resources, achieving a fair and accurate count in the 2020 Census is one of the most important civil rights issues facing Black America. That is why The Leadership Conference Education Fund has been collaborating with a broad network of civil and human rights advocates, policy experts, and service providers to call attention to the importance of the census and to sound an alarm about a potential disaster in the making.
Sonal Shah
Executive Director, Professor of Practice, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Georgetown University
Twitter: @SonalRShah
Marta Urquilla
Deputy Director, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Georgetown University
Twitter: @MartaUrquilla
Dr. Hollie Russon Gilman
Senior Fellow, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation, Georgetown University
Twitter: @hrgilman
Our society is creating and consuming data faster and more than ever before. Ninety percent of today’s data was produced in the last two years. From enabling companies to produce better, cheaper products, to putting banking, transport, and food services at our fingertips, data is transforming our everyday transactions and experiences. Like a watchful neighbor, data knows our comings and goings, who we vote for, when we go for our daily run, and our favorite takeout. What data knows is highly valued. So much so, that data, not oil, is now the world’s most valuable resource, as reported by The Economist magazine. What does this shift mean for society, and how can government leverage data’s value for the benefit of communities of color?
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke
New York – 9th Congressional District
Instagram: @repyvettedclarke
For the past eleven years, I have had the honor of representing the Ninth Congressional District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. In fact, I represent the very community that raised me. I still live on the same block where I grew up as a child in Central Brooklyn. I go to the same church, frequent the same restaurants, and maintain relationships I’ve had since I was a child. I have seen the communities in my district transform throughout my lifetime from neighborhood restaurants with a cashier to restaurants adopting mobile devices and Square for payment. With advancements in technology, the notion of a smart community inspires endless possibilities. However, we must make sure that as our communities transform we are not lost in the digital divide.
A Climate In Crisis
Executive Summary
