Joint Center Hosts Convening on the Future of Work in Atlanta

On October 29, 2019, the Joint Center, Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation, and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies hosted a day-long convening at the Andrew Young School in Atlanta, GA to discuss the challenges and solutions for the Black residents of Atlanta regarding the future of work. Participants, including scholars, community leaders, entrepreneurs, technologists, members of both the business and philanthropic sector, and policy students at the Andrew Young School contributed to the robust conversation.

Andrew Young School Dean Sally Wallace kicked off the conversation with a presentation on the socioeconomic status of African Americans in the state of Georgia. Joint Center Consultant Harin Contractor moderated the conversation that identified challenges and assets in the African American community.

During the discussion, the group identified clear needs for Atlanta residents including improving the quality of education in the most disadvantaged communities, expanding access to networks and capital among Black entrepreneurs, and shedding light on the myriad of job opportunities outside of coding in the tech sector.
Attendees also enjoyed a keynote from Ambassador Andrew Young Jr. During his keynote, Ambassador Young shared lessons he learned during his years in activism and as an elected official—offering inspiration and wisdom for attendees as they tackle challenges in the future of work.

The convening, “The Future of the Workforce,” is the second of a four-part series of roundtables in different cities around the U.S. The series kicked off last April in Chicago, IL. The Joint Center is collecting findings from the workshops and plans to provide actionable ideas for federal and local leaders based on the input from community leaders.

See photos from the convening below.