Minding the Gap: Community Wealth

Community wealth building is a transformative approach that seeks to combat these realities by building and strengthening neighborhood assets and resources. This includes efforts to increase local economic power and autonomy, provide alternative wealth building opportunities, and promote neighborhood stability and resiliency.   Community wealth building has deep roots in a number of initiatives in Massachusetts, such as Boston’s Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, an organization in Roxbury that used the City of Boston’s eminent domain power to retain 60 acres of land for affordable housing and community development projects, managed by a community land trust.

This “Minding the Gap” forum will convene community wealth experts to discuss the history and importance of community wealth building, showcase existing initiatives in the Greater Boston area, and engage in a dialogue about the promising role these initiatives can play in closing the racial wealth gap.

Welcome and Opening Remarks 

Soni Gupta, Associate Vice President of Programs, Advancing Community Wealth at The Boston Foundation  

Panel Discussion and Audience Q&A 

Sharon Cho, Director, Dudley Neighbors Inc. 

Gerardo Espinoza, Executive Director, Local Enterprise Assistance Fund 

Rei Fielder, Director of Coalitions, Policy, and Grassroots Organizing, Boston Ujima Project

Kimberly Lyle, Chief Executive Officer, Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation 

Courtney Brunson, Director, Greater Boston Partnership to Close the Racial Wealth Gap at The Boston Foundation (Moderator)