Home › Season Two › Streetlights

SEASON 2, EPISODE 1 June 11, 2019

Streetlights

We are so constantly and fundamentally surrounded by racism in the way our systems and public institutions have been structured and operate that it can be easy to not see it. To effectively revitalize a neighborhood, we need to look through a structural lens at our political, economic, social, and cultural history in order to fully understand the meaning of racism in America and how to address it in our institutions.

Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward, led a session about racial equity in 2015 at the Purpose Built Communities annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Listen Download

Guests

Glenn Harris

President, Race Forward

Glenn Harris is the President of the new Race Forward and Publisher of Colorlines. The new Race Forward is the union of two leading racial justice non-profit organizations: Race Forward and Center for Social Inclusion (CSI), where Glenn served as President starting in 2014. The new Race Forward will build on the work of both organizations to advance racial justice.

Glenn brings to the new Race Forward over 25 years of experience working on issues of race and social justice—working with community groups, foundations, and government agencies dedicated to building a more just and democratic society.

Narrator

Alexandra Wiggins

Community Development Associate, Purpose Built Communities

Alexandra Wiggins supports current Network Members and assists new prospects as a Community Development Advisor for Purpose Built Communities. Alex is a recent graduate of Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center where she received her Juris Doctor as well as a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law.

This is Community is created in partnership with HL Strategy. Our executive producers are Eytan Davidson, Howard Lalli, and Sherry Crawley. Our producer, director, and editor is Brady Hummel. Mixing and mastering is by Matt Honkonen, and our music is from Pitchwire.

More Episodes

Bonus Episode: Taking her seat at the table: “It’s about time!”

SEASON 3, BONUS EPISODE December 3, 2021

Listen

Having the courage and confidence to take on leadership isn't always easy, but in the case of Mashonda Taylor, Executive Director of Woodlawn Foundation and Valencia King, president of the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association in Birmingham, Alabama's Woodlawn neighborhood, it was inevitable. This conversation reveals the influence strong, Black, female leaders are having in the Woodlawn community in Birmingham, AL. Their collaboration and partnership is helping to bring about holistic community revitalization and creating healthier places for residents. Listen

Bonus Episode: Interview with Senator Chris Coons

SEASON 3, BONUS EPISODE March 29, 2021

Listen

Now more than ever, we need to show communities that have been impacted by a long legacy of racism and race-based inequality that we can do better. One key to that is to increase collaboration. In this bonus episode of This is Community Logan Herring, Sr., executive director of Purpose Built Communities’ Network Member REACH Riverside--an organization working to improve opportunities and outcomes for residents in the Riverside neighborhood of Wilmington Delaware--talks to Delaware Senator Chris Coons about working across silos in federal programs. Listen

Bonus Episode: The Makings of a National Place-Based Movement

Season 3, BONUS EPISODE February 19, 2021

Listen

The research is clear: for too many Americans, zip codes determine destinies. In other words, the places in which we are born and grow up have a greater impact on our life outcomes than any other single determinant, including genetics. But is there a new movement taking place in community development, philanthropy, and policy that is responding to the overwhelming evidence of the importance of place in fighting poverty? This conversation was moderated by Othello Meadows, Managing Director, Portfolio Strategy & Initiatives at Blue Meridian, and took place in late 2020 at the Purpose Built Communities Virtual Annual Conference. Listen

Bonus Episode: A Conversation on the COVID-19 Vaccine

SEASON 3, BONUS EPISODE January 26, 2021

Listen

As the COVID-19 vaccine has been made available, we consider the racial inequities and historical mistreatment of Black and Brown communities in research and within the health care system. Suffice it to say, that relationship has been somewhat tenuous over the years. In this special episode of This Is Community Danny Shoy, President and CEO of the East Lake Foundation, facilitates a Facebook live conversation about the COVID-19 vaccine with Dr. Jayne Morgan, Clinical Director of the Covid Taskforce for Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta. Thanks for tuning in as Dr. Morgan answers some of the most pressing questions and concerns about the vaccine. It is our hope this conversation about the COVID-19 vaccine helps create awareness intentionally through a racial equity and social justice lens. Listen

A Conversation with Logan Herring, CEO, REACH Riverside

SEASON 3, EPISODE 6 October 5, 2020

Listen

It all goes back to racist policies and practices. In this episode, hear more about how the Riverside neighborhood is similar to other Black and brown communities, as well as how they are different. Their response to the current reality has focused on a holistic approach for addressing community needs-—particularly creating a forum for teens. Listen

A Conversation with Mashonda Taylor, Executive Director, Woodlawn Foundation

SEASON 3, EPISODE 5 October 5, 2020

Listen

We are actually solving the problems that we've been wanting to solve for a long time and thinking innovatively and not looking at barriers so much anymore. Hear more about how Woodlawn Foundation is serving as the stable force in a historic Birmingham, Alabama neighborhood amidst the pandemic, convening community partners to help them pivot and adjust. Listen

Subscribe to the Purpose Built Communities Newsletter

The Purpose Built newsletter offers insights into the many facets of community development, news from Network Members, the latest research and information on best practices for removing barriers to racial equity, and much more.

We are excited to reveal our new brand identity! Our new brand is the next chapter in a story about increasing economic mobility, better health outcomes, and racial equity by harnessing neighborhoods as powerful engines of change.

In our new logo, you see the blocks of a city grid or an interwoven tapestry of bold and vivid colors. It symbolizes both where we work and how we work. Purpose Built supports over 70 neighborhoods—including more than 25 Network Members—creating an interconnected collective of leaders strengthening neighborhoods so everyone can thrive.

This new brand identity is more than a logo. It is a framework for telling the Purpose Built Communities story and an invitation to join our mission of creating pathways to prosperity for residents in the places they call home.