Reimagining Our Economy for Collective Prosperity!

This is an abridged transcript of the remarks Christine Essel delivered at SCG's 2023 Annual Conference, REIMAGINE Our Economy, on December 6, 2023. 

Good morning,

Welcome to SCG’s 2023 Annual Conference, REIMAGINE Our Economy! My name is Christine Essel, President & CEO of SoCal Grantmakers.

I want to begin our day by acknowledging the violence transpiring in the Middle East. Words cannot express the horror and heartbreak of this conflict. A war that has taken thousands of innocent lives — that is ongoing with no clear resolution in sight. 

We recognize - with humility - the difficulty of this crisis and the complex and intense emotions many people are experiencing right now. We grieve alongside every person in our community who has been personally affected, especially those of you who have lost family and friends. There aren't any words that SCG or I can share to make this situation less painful. There are no easy solutions we can provide. 

At this moment, I want to reaffirm SCG's commitment to creating a more just and equitable world — a world free of violence that is founded on preserving dignity and life for all people. We also condemn and reject all forms of hatred — whether it be speech or violence. We do not tolerate antisemitism, Islamophobia, or any form of discrimination, oppression, or racism. We stand firm in our support for those working toward peace and justice. 

While most of SCG's efforts focus on our immediate region, our work can reverberate on a much larger scale. That impact begins with the conversations and the connections we make in spaces like this. It starts with the empathy and understanding we extend to one another. 

With respect to our conference today, you will hear from many speakers, artists, and colleagues who might not share the same perspective or ideas. As you engage in a wide range of conversations, we invite you to center our shared humanity, and we hope you will practice listening with compassion and curiosity. 

We ask that you treat each other with patience and respect as we all figure out how to navigate these difficult conversations and what it means to be a member of our global community. I believe in our collective ability to overcome some of our generation's most complex challenges. And I believe in our capacity to hold space for one another and build partnerships across lines of difference. Most of all, I believe that everyone in this room is fundamentally capable of decency, kindness, and compassion. Together, we can model the change we want to see in the world. 

We CAN build a new economy that generates wealth for everybody — a just economy rooted in mutuality, repair, and collective prosperity.

I also want to acknowledge the journey it took to get here today. 

As you all know, this year's annual conference was initially scheduled for September and was going to be held at a different venue. But when the hotel workers' strike began earlier this summer, AND it became clear that our venue would not reach an agreement with its workers before our event date, the SCG team decided to make a major pivot. 

On short notice, we worked tirelessly to find a new hotel venue that could accommodate the heavy logistical demands of our annual conference and, more importantly, had reached an agreement with its workers. It was CRUCIAL for us to find a partner aligned with our organizational values and this year's conference theme of REIMAGINING Our Economy — a theme born from the reality that our current economic systems are not designed to advance the well-being and prosperity of all our communities and workers. 

Our theme acknowledges that our current economic ideas are not getting us any closer to a more sustainable or equitable world. Our conference pivot was a byproduct of the structural inequities in our institutions. This year alone, we have seen workers across sectors go on strike for months, demanding better wages, benefits, and living conditions. And while some strikes have been resolved, I want to emphasize that hotel workers are still organizing and striking to this day! 

SCG stands in solidarity with the thousands of workers and community members demanding livable wages, better working conditions, and expanded benefits. We are grateful to partner with The Westin Bonaventure, the first major hotel in our region to reach an agreement with its workers. I want to thank every hotel worker who made this event possible. Thank you for all your hard work and for welcoming the SCG community so warmly. 

This year's annual conference dares us to REIMAGINE our economic and political structures to better align with movement leaders and organizers AND shift capital and power toward communities most impacted by oppressive systems. For so long, traditional economic thinking has led us to believe that individualism, competition, and profit are the main drivers of progress in our society. We have seen and continue to see that these ideas are built from a legacy of extraction and exploitation. 

But these economic models and conditions aren't inherent or fixed — they are collective agreements that we can influence and make beneficial for everyone. What happens when we move away from conventional language and ideas about "the economy"? What can we envision when we shift toward the language of "OUR ECONOMY" and realize that our collective future depends on the care we show to each other and our planet?

We CAN build a new economy that generates wealth for everybody — a just economy rooted in mutuality, repair, and collective prosperity.

Today, you will hear from many incredible leaders who will explore how philanthropy can build economic solidarity with communities and provide them with the resources they need to thrive. We are so proud of the programming we have curated for this year's conference. And I am excited to learn alongside all of you today. 

We are so proud to do this work alongside all of you. And we are grateful you view us as essential players in shaping the future of the philanthropic sector.

Finally, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to every single one of YOU for attending SCG's annual conference this year. I appreciate you sticking with us as our date changed multiple times and making time to be present with your colleagues. It is always such a pleasure to see the SCG community come together for a day of learning and connection. Your participation in SCG's offerings means the world to us — especially those of you who have been with SCG for the long haul. 

As you may have heard, this year was SCG's 50th Anniversary! Our once relatively tiny regional organization has stood the test of time, and we are more impactful today than ever before. 

In the last decade alone, we have significantly increased the breadth of our premier programming and professional learning opportunities. We've also broken new ground by forging statewide alliances and serving as a fiscal sponsor for many innovative projects. SCG has expanded its role as a philanthropy-supporting organization to convene, advocate, and mobilize alongside all of you — our members and partners — to tackle our region's most pressing issues and create a more just world. 

Today, SCG is part of a power-building, systems change movement.

We are so proud to do this work alongside all of you. And we are grateful you view us as essential players in shaping the future of the philanthropic sector. But we need your help to be better partners in this work. 

Last month, SCG launched a Member Survey to help improve our services and better support the needs of our network. This survey is the most critical evaluation SCG has administered in many years and covers the breadth of our work and offerings. We appreciate everyone who's already taken the time to complete it. If you haven't taken our survey yet, we hope you will take a few minutes to share your insights and feedback with us. 

Again, thank you for your steadfast support and for attending today. I hope you enjoy SCG's 2023 Annual Conference, REIMAGINE Our Economy!