Greater New Haven Branch NAACP
Economic Development Position Statement
March
19, 2008
The Greater New Haven Branch of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People has established economic development as one of
its major priorities over the next several years. As a result, we have been
following with great interest recent economic dev elopement initiatives in the
city of New Haven. We
consider economic equality as one of the most pressing civil rights challenges
for people of color.
Our interest in this area was greatly heightened with New
Haven Mayor John DeStefano, Jr.’s
announcement during January 2008 that economic development will be a priority
for the city of New Haven for
the next several years. The New Haven branch
is greatly concerned that people of color in New
Haven will not participate in and directly
benefit from the development projects currently underway or being planned. We
want to make our position clear in that we favor an affirmative economic development strategy that is inclusive at
every level. We also want to be clear that this is not the same as affirmative
action, which over the past several decades has focused primarily on assuring
people of color jobs on construction sites where government subsidies are
involved. That will not be our focus in advocating for the inclusion of people
of color as the city’s economic development strategy moves forward.
Rather, affirmative economic development from our standpoint
is intended to move local people of color into New
Haven’s economic mainstream. Thomas Jefferson
once said, “There can be no democracy without economic equality.” We believe
that any economic development strategy that does have economic equality as its
basic tenet imperils our democracy.
As we look around the city of New
Haven today it is evident that the participation
of local people of color as business owners and operators has greatly declined,
in spite of the fact the city has experienced considerable growth in retail
businesses in recent years. The decline is particularly apparent in New
Haven’s inner city neighborhoods heavily
populated by people of color. While the city’s efforts in dealing with housing
conditions in these neighborhoods is commendable, business development and job creation
have in our view fallen short.
As Mayor DeStefano stated in an
article that appeared in the January
6, 2008 edition of the New York Times concerning major
development projects, private money is currently the driving force behind these
projects in New Haven. We
believe this can be a prescription for economic racism whether unintentional or
not. Most troubling, however, was the recent announcement of a new corporation
funded by Yale University that
will eventually direct the city’s economic development strategy. This will in
our view lead to further exclusion of people of color in economic development
and the city’s economic mainstream. The
history of the NAACP is about the fight against racism wherever it exists- this
has not changed.
As New Haven’s
current economic development strategy moves forward, we foresee a disturbing
trend developing that will impact people of color. We foresee New
Haven significantly changing demographically,
socially, politically, ethnically, and economically through the next decade. We
see the potential for a permanent underclass to emerge that will continue to
grow, and a declining middle class. The possibility of two New Havens in the
future, one wealthy and the other poor, can become a reality. This should not
become the legacy of this generation.
We believe that if used effectively economic development
could help to reduce the high level of poverty that has existed in New
Haven for many years. There is currently no plan
in place in the city with the specific purpose of eliminating poverty. Economic development could be a means by
which wealth could be transferred and more evenly distributed among the masses
of people. It could in fact produce positive
social change and improve the quality of life for all New
Haven residents.
It is, however,
imperative that people of color in New
Haven begin to embrace the entrepreneurial
spirit that drives economic development and the city’s economy. This will
require a paradigm shift among people of color unparallel since the beginning
of the civil rights era. A new mindset must drive people of color to create
opportunities for themselves through small business enterprises that can
generate new jobs. It will require people of color on all levels, as well as
organizations and institutions pooling and mobilizing their financial resources
to achieve economic objectives. The Greater New Haven Branch will be a force
within the community to bring about this critical change.
The Greater New Haven Branch has begun to move proactively
to help create a new economic paradigm for people of color in the greater New
Haven area. Our first objective will be the
creation of an economic think tank comprised of prominent men and women
familiar with economic policies, markets, and planning. The think tank will
provide the Greater New Haven Branch with critical analysis of economic issues
that impact people of color and a broad blueprint for future economic
development and job creation in the greater New
Haven area.
Members of the think tank will be presented to the public at a press
conference during April 2008.
Finally, the Greater New Haven Branch strongly recommends
that the city of New Haven
develop and adopt an affirmative economic development policy. The policy should
ensure the participation of people of color as developers, owners and operators
of business enterprises, equity partners for all development projects that
require city approval. And ensure
training opportunities for permanent jobs that are created as a result of these
projects. The Greater New Haven Branch will continue to monitor economic
development projects in New Haven
regardless of scale and complexity, and advocate for economic equality for
people of color. We will hold the city administration accountable for full
inclusion of people of color in the economic development of the city.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The Greater New Haven Branch NAACP
2008
Economic Development Goal & Objectives
Year 1 Goal (2008): To develop a position paper for the
Greater New Haven Branch NAACP concerning current and future job creation in
the Greater New Haven area.
Objective
1 (February-March 2008): Convene a think tank comprised of up to 11 members
that will analyze currents and future outlook concerning job creation in the
greater New Haven area.
·
Establish a selection committee
·
Develop desired qualifications for
think tank members
·
Inform branch membership about
proposed think tank
·
Develop a list of prospects
·
Interview prospects
·
Select members
·
Establish a meeting schedule for
think tank
·
Establish governance process
Objective
2 (March-August 2008): Develop plans for a half-day economic summit for people
of color during September 2008 focused on job creation.
·
Establish a subcommittee
·
Develop a format
·
Develop a timeline
·
Develop a budget
·
Identify a site
·
Identify corporate sponsors
·
Identify facilitators and speakers
·
Prepare materials
·
Identify volunteers
·
Register participants
Objective
3 (September 2008): Greater New Haven Branch will hold a half-day economic
summit in New
Haven during
September 2008.
·
Networking/Breakfast/Registration
·
Opening
·
Keynote Speaker
·
Panel Discussion
·
Concurrent Workshops
·
Closing
Objective
4 (October-November 2008): Think tank will complete a draft of the job creation
position paper.
·
Analyze outcomes of economic summit
·
Prepare position paper outline
·
Assign fact-finding tasks
·
Analyze all information
·
Prepare draft
·
Submit draft to executive committee
for comments
·
Receive and review all comments
Objective
5 (December 2008): Think tank will submit the completed position paper to the
executive committee.
·
Revise document as needed
·
Prepare final document
·
Submit final document to the
executive committee
_______________________________________________________________________________
The
Greater New
Haven Branch
NAACP
Four-Point
Economic Development Strategy 2008-2009
I.
Encourage and Promote Economic Self Help
Among People of Color
II.
Encourage and Support Community Driven
Economic Development Projects
III. Convene
an Economic Think Tank
IV.
Convene
an Economic Summit