Beyond the Dream, TREC Hosts First Racial Equity Summit

On Thursday, January 27, the Texas Family Leadership Council and the Texas Racial Equity Collaborative (TREC) partnered with Fidelity to host their first annual racial equity summit, Beyond the Dream: From Words to Action. The summit included panels of legislators and business leaders from around Texas to discuss the importance of racial equity.

Sharon Watkins-Jones, Director of TREC, and Jeri Brooks, founder of One World Consulting, moderated a panel of Texas legislators to discuss their work in the 87th Session and the role racial equity plays in that work. The panel featured Rep. Senfronia Thompson, District 141, Sen. Carol Alvarado, District 6, and Camille Lasin Foster, chief of staff for Sen. Miles District 13. The legislators discussed bills and legislative action pertaining to child care, health care, and COVID-19.

Watkins-Jones was then joined by Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. They discussed the transformative power of racial equity in communities and how to best make equity an organizational practice in the non-profit sector.

 Finally, Helen Stagg, CEO of Change Happens!, moderated a panel of business leaders to discuss the importance of racial equity for the private sector and economy. The panel hosted Pia Flanagan, COO of CEO Action, Pamela Everhart, Senior VP, Regional Public Affairs and Community Relations at Fidelity, and Judson Robinson III, President of the Houston Area Urban League. Panelists discussed the strong data supporting the positive impact of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for business performance and the ways they have promoted DEI in their companies.

As Pamela Everhart said, “Focusing on [racial equity, diversity, and inclusion] is not just the right thing to do, it’s the smart, business savvy thing to do.”

To learn more about the Texas Family Leadership Council and our collaborative working groups, visit childrenatrisk.org/txflc/