West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum will host a demonstration of a Racial Equity Impact Assessment on a significant local sustainability project on Monday, November 19 from 12 pm to 1:30 pm at LINC Up.
Featured speaker Eric Foster, principal of Progress Strategies+ will introduce the REIA and facilitate an exercise and table discussions on the Grand Rapids Whitewater river restoration project. Representatives of the initiative will be on hand to briefly discuss the new venture and receive feedback from the participants. Eric will be using a model developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation to inform dialogue to “reduce, eliminate and prevent racial discrimination and inequities and prevent institutional racism.”
The Grand Rapids Whitewater river restoration initiative is a $45 million plan to restore Michigan’s longest river to a more natural state, including the city’s namesake rapids. The project will remove five dams between Sixth and Pearl streets to restore an 18-foot drop in the Grand River’s elevation across a 2.2-mile stretch between Leonard Street and Fulton Street. Below the Sixth Street dam, boulder-strewn rapids would be recreated.
Please note: Participants should not expect a full update on the project. The initiative is being highlighted for demonstration purposes and discussion will be largely limited to factors material to racial equity. Note further that this is for demonstration purposes and that it should not be perceived as a formal evaluation of racial equity for this project, or as community outreach effort to that effect. It is an educational exercise for sustainable business stakeholders on how to assess projects for racial equity impacts.
November Forum: Racial Equity Impact Assessment Demo
Monday, November 19
11:30 am to 1:30 pm
LINC UP Gallery
1167 Madison Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Members: $17 online / $22 at event
Non-members: $22 online / $27 at event
