On Wednesday, July 27, the Greater Washington Community Foundation and its local office in Montgomery County brought together a group of donors, friends, and volunteers to reflect lessons learned from the pandemic and ask the question where do we go from here?
This group was keenly aware of how pandemic exposed the depths of societal inequities and system failures that threaten our public health and economy. They were particularly eager to discuss what it will take to build a more equitable, just, and thriving community. In the words of President & CEO, Tonia Wellons, they especially wanted to know how we can "reconstruct a more just society rather than merely 'recovering' a flawed one."
The group gathered at the KID Museum’s beautiful new headquarters in downtown Bethesda, the perfect setting to spark one’s imagination and dream up a brighter future. Before dinner, guests had the opportunity to tour the exhibits. They were impressed to see how each station empowers children to adopt the “Mind of a Maker” through activities that develop creativity, innovation, and capacity to build new solutions to complex problems.
After touring the KID Museum (and interacting with the hands-on learning stations), the group dove into dinner and conversation. Anna Hargrave kicked off the session by showing a map of the Greater Washington region that highlighted Council on Government (COG)’s “Equity Emphasis Areas” – geographic areas that have significant concentrations of low-income and/or minority populations. She pointed out that these same areas were the first and hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
President & CEO Tonia Wellons reported out on The Community Foundation’s new 10-year strategic plan focused on economic justice and closing the racial wealth gap. Along with Ronnie Galvin, Managing Director of Community Investment, they illuminated several exciting strategies under exploration including Guaranteed Income pilots like Let’s Go DMV!, Child Savings Accounts, and Community Wealth Building opportunities.
“I take a lot of pride in being from this part of the country because of how culturally diverse it is,” one participant shared. “But to me, seeing this map and hearing these examples is evidence to me that multi-culturalism and diversity around us is not enough. We need to put our money where our mouth is and put in the work to make a difference.”
“It’s exciting to hear about these initiatives and how we can get involved in this critically important work,” shared Sumindi Peiris, one of the newest members of the Montgomery County Advisory Board. “I’m looking forward to learning more and doing my part to close the racial wealth gap.”
If you would like to learn more about how The Community Foundation is working to close the racial wealth gap, click here!