This past weekend, we participated in our first Essence Festival and are still inspired by the energy and conversations Black women from across the country were having about their communities and the issues they care about. This was a new venue for us to share our message on creating equitable cities, but as the ambitions of our initiative grow, we are committed to being bolder than ever and expanding where and how we show up. That also includes working with you in new ways. This month, we are happy to share a progress report on our initiative to help you see our vision and how to partner with us. 

All-In Cities Progress Report
In 2015, PolicyLink launched the All-In Cities initiative, laying out a framework and policy agenda for inclusive cities. While cities were being lauded as a comeback story, the report asked the key question: for whom are cities coming back? The framework laid out a policy agenda and equity-focused practices to create stronger cities for all. Since then, the All-In Cities initiative has worked to build community power, forge innovative partnerships, and support government leaders and community coalitions in advancing racial economic inclusion and equitable growth in cities. All-In Cities: Building an Equitable Cities Movement, a progress report on the initiative to-date, describes our approach to this work, our impact thus far, and lays out a vision for the future. We encourage you to work together with us as we continue to grow the initiative.
 
Essence Festival 2019
Last month, ESSENCE and the All-In Cities initiative hosted the final virtual roundtable for the ESSENCE-PolicyLink Mayors Roundtable, which focused on gentrification and anti-displacement strategies. These monthly discussions helped lay the foundation for a conversation at the Essence Festival, open to the thousands of people in attendance. I had the pleasure of giving the opening remarks to the panel, underscoring the political power of Black women, but also the barriers Black women face, including stagnant wages, rising rents, and neighborhoods that put their health at risk. I explained that “Electing Black women to political office is an important step, but to truly support Black women, cities need to transform the policies and systems that have long perpetuated such inequality.” For more on the panel and our photos from the event, click here.
 
Bay Area Equity Atlas Webinar
Ensuring that Bay Area renters are not displaced from their homes due to rising housing costs and eviction is critical to building a more equitable region where all can thrive. Across the region, there is a burgeoning movement for stronger laws that protect tenants from eviction and excessive rent increases. Data is an important ingredient in successful campaigns, and the Bay Area Equity Atlas team has worked with tenant advocacy organizations in five Bay Area cities to support their policy campaigns with data. Join this webinar on Tuesday, July 23 to learn about what renter data you will find in the Bay Area Equity Atlas and hear from tenant advocates working in Concord, Hayward, Oakland, and San Jose about how data fits into their organizing and policy campaigns. Register here!
 
In Solidarity,
 
Tracey Ross
All-In Cities