We are not even halfway through 2020, and there is already enough material for future history classes. A global pandemic, murder hornets, and protests of the killing of Black people by law enforcement, and those are just the highlights from the last few months. One thing 2020 has accomplished is shining a bright light on the inequities that many of us have been talking about for decades.
In 2018, I had an opportunity to participate in the Salzburg Global Seminar conversation around Building Healthy, Equitable Communities: The Role of Inclusive Urban Development and Investment. Our charge for the week was to have conversations with our colleagues from around the world and let the meeting of the minds happen. I connected with a group of 11 other people to develop the Salzburg Statement on Confronting Power and Privilege for Inclusive, Equitable, and Healthy Communities.
The purpose of our statement is to get people to reflect on their own power and privilege as well as the power and privilege within the systems they work in. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we as individuals and as an industry answer the questions, reflect on the answer, and put in concrete plans to make the change needed to create inclusive, equitable, and healthy communities.
