Long Island, a region east of New York City, holds its place in history as the nation’s first suburb. Today, Long Island boasts some of the country’s top schools, consistently ranks among the best places to live, and is home to world class research, medical, and academic institutions that are making advances in the fields of health, energy, and technology and are fueling a new innovation economy. However, racial inequalities deprived the region of an estimated $24 billion in GDP in 2014. By empowering communities, cultivating homegrown talent, and strengthening governments’ roles in collaborating across the region, Long Island’s leaders will bolster the region’s competitiveness and help all Long Islanders see greater economic inclusion and sustained benefits.

In Long Island, we have partnered with a coalition led by the Urban League of Long Island, with support from the Long Island Community Foundation and Citi Community Development, to dismantle exclusionary policies and advance policies and strategies that increase health equity, wealth, and economic resilience for the Black community and all Long Islanders.

See our report, Empowering Black Long Island: How Equity Is Key to the Future of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and accompanying Equity Profile of Long Island.