Closing the Racial Wealth Gap – There’s an App for That

Moderator:  Vanessa Lindley, CEO, Lindley Consulting Group

Sponsor Remarks:
Byna Elliott, Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Community and Economic Development Officer

Panelists: 
Dr. Alan Curtis, President and CEO, Eisenhower Foundation
Michael P. McMillan, CEO, Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
Byna Elliott, Senior Vice President, Chief Corporate Community and Economic Development Officer 
Thomas M. Smith, Strategic Technology Integration Manager, Single-Family Strategic Technology

The Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s fought for equal opportunity for African Americans, and greater participation in the economic mainstream that had long practiced discrimination and exclusion. Four decades later, cautious optimism has given way to some harsh truths. The rich have gotten richer, and the poor have gotten poorer – and grown in number. More than 40 million Americans live in poverty today compared to 25 million five decades ago. And the disparity between white and black wealth has grown wider. The good news? There are solutions. And our panelists rank among the leading thinkers on how to close the racial wealth gap – from sound and moral economic policy changes to employment and health care access to a renewed focus on education and application of new technologies. The closing of the racial wealth gap begins now.