Vi Lyles, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
Vi Lyles, the Democratic mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina since 2017, grew up in the segregated South. She was exposed to segregation — in laws and policies — that prevented African Americans from opportunity on a daily basis. This exposure and the experiences that she had early in life were the impetus for her involvement in public service. After the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd, Lyles challenged the corporate sector in her city to build on its efforts to advance racial justice. In response, they raised $250 million to create a major Racial Equity Initiative focused on fostering a much larger role for Black residents of Charlotte, as well as other people of color, in finance and high-tech industry in an effort to bridge the South’s digital divide.
According to Lyles, “I really struggled with what we were doing about many of the ills in our cities that are the result of discriminatory practices, as a result of government policies, and as a result of the laws in our countries. The City of Charlotte took major steps forward in how we police our community and how we support our community’s grassroots organizations through our SAFE Charlotte program.” She added, “As I talk to my grandchildren, I’d like to be able to say that the government did its part, but a city isn’t just made up of government. A city is made up of the people who live here and the people who work here and bring commerce here.”
Mayor Lyles approached the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, which works to advance major community initiatives, to ask for their support and creativity in thinking about the racial equity issues that weighed heavy on her mind in the midst of Floyd’s murder. According to Lyles, “The Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, due largely to member Malcolm Coley from EY, took my ideas, strategized them, and grew them into something much larger than even I had thought we could accomplish.”
Malcomb Coley, Charlotte managing partner of EY.
Malcomb Coley, Charlotte managing partner of EY, and Janet LaBar, president and CEO of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance led a corporate response team. Coley and LaBar worked with more than 90 business and community representatives over the past 18 months to develop the Racial Equity Initiative.
The Initiative aims to invest $250 million across Charlotte to address inequities and remove barriers to opportunity in four key areas:
Kieth Cockrell, President of Bank of America, Charlotte
According to Kieth Cockrell, President of Bank of America Charlotte, and a partner in the Racial Equity Initiative, “Education is a gateway to a better life and a pillar in addressing the racial wealth gap in our country. Our long-term relationship with Johnson C. Smith University has set the foundation for this critical moment – a collective partnership among the public and private sectors working to eliminate existing barriers by providing unique opportunities to JCSU students.” Bill Rogers, CEO of Truist, another partner in the Racial Equity Initiative, stated, “Regarding the Mayor’s initiative, we are delighted to give Johnson C. Smith University a $3 million grant that will help fund innovation in the emerging Data Analytics program and develop the Smith Tech-Innovation Center, which connects students, faculty and staff with the community to facilitate inclusive, tech-based economic development.”
Mayor Lyles wants to make Charlotte a model city for racial justice and equity. However, she knows that the Racial Equity Initiative won’t be a quick fix. In her words, “This is a journey.” She added, “We can’t achieve social change, social justice, and racial equity without everyone being part of the solution.”
I am the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education and a Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. I’ve written or edited
I am the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Endowed Chair in Education and a Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University. I’ve written or edited 29 books, including Making Black Scientists (Harvard University Press, 2019 with Thai Nguyen), Educating a Diverse Nation (Harvard University Press, 2015 with Clif Conrad) and Envisioning Black Colleges (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007). My newest book is Doing the Right Thing: How Colleges and Universities Can Undo Systemic Racism in Faculty Hiring (Princeton University Press, 2022).