SCG 2023 Policy Conference - REIMAGINE: Multiracial Democracy

Alex Alpharoah will be opening up our day with three pieces. “Brown History” is Alpharaoh’s response poem to Gil Scott Heron’s Black History. Then, “When I Was A Boy” is Alpharaoh recanting his childhood story as an undocumented immigrant in Spanglish. Lastly, “When You’re Undocumented” is Alpharaoh’s description of what it is like being undocumented and navigating through a system designed to keep you oppressed.

What will it take to achieve a multiracial democracy that reflects our state and country’s diversity and bolsters the leadership and political power of communities of color? Why is it imperative that our democracy works in concert with social movements to achieve long-term systems change? Join us to hear from author and national political leader Steve Phillips as he highlights a “Liberation Battle Plan” that can secure a multiracial democracy and equality. Phillips will outline how philanthropy can be part of the broader movement to help communities of color build and sustain strong civic engagement organizations, invest in the political power of local and movement leaders, and ensure that elected officials have the resources and support needed to carry out their agendas. By sharing power and centering community leadership, we can reimagine what a multiracial democracy accomplishes and ensure that the policies, economies, and culture it forwards represent and embrace all Californians.

SCG is proud to host Mayor Karen Bass as a Keynote Speaker at our 2023 Public Policy Conference! As the 43rd Mayor of Los Angeles, the first woman, and the second African American ever elected as the city’s chief executive, Mayor Bass understands the imperative of building a multiracial democracy, especially as our state and our country continue to undergo profound demographic changes. She also knows that this political project transcends any one election cycle or political party and is about transforming who holds and wields power at the policy level. Joined in conversation by Christine Essel, SCG’s President and CEO, Mayor Bass will discuss her focus on homeless prevention and housing, her experience with multiracial coalition building, and explore opportunities for public-private partnerships with philanthropy that uplift the communities we serve and are supportive of the nonprofit sector.

Join us for a brief pause to center and connect with yourself. Incorporating Healing Justice frameworks, gentle embodied somatic practices, and guided breath work, Erica invites us to tune in and connect to our body and remember that rest is a powerful, meaningful, and central part of all transformative work.

Time and time again, we hear that those closest to the problem hold the solutions. And yet, communities most impacted by systemic inequality still face countless barriers that prevent them from actively participating in our democratic processes and that exclude them from our political institutions. Moreover, even when community leaders enter elected office, they struggle to implement the agendas and policies that would benefit their constituents. Our current political system is designed to prevent communities from influencing policymaking and long-term change. We must create new models that allow community members to collaborate with local and state governments and that hold elected officials and leaders accountable. In this session, we will explore Co-Governance as one model that creates pathways for community leaders to have political power and influence and that shifts the paradigms on civic engagement and accountability. Join us to learn more about co-governance, how some communities have implemented this model, and how all sectors can help forward new community-informed policies, priorities, and solutions.

The information and stories we are exposed to everyday influence how we think about our communities, our country, and ourselves. Today, we are witnessing a targeted wave of mis- and dis-information campaigns intentionally proliferating our cultural landscape with harmful images and ideas about ethnic groups. These campaigns have run rampant in an ecosystem characterized by media deserts, a broad distrust of the government, and an overreliance on digital and social media. Moreover, we see how these mis- and dis-information campaigns have been leveraged to suppress the ethnic vote, cause mass confusion, and spark fear about public health interventions. Civic and philanthropic leaders have identified the urgent need to support small, community-driven media outlets to educate the public on disinformation recognition and prevention to combat this crisis. This panel will cover the impact of sustaining small ethnic news outlets, investing in narrative power to ensure the correct stories are being told, and how philanthropy can support efforts to build an educated and empowered multiracial democracy.

The case has been made, and efforts toward reparation are now developing at the state and federal levels. However, the fight to repair and redress our country's harmful past is still one of our generation's toughest cultural and narrative challenges. Now is the time to focus on building power for reparations to be implemented. Join us for a dreaming session and an invigorating conversation on how culture and narrative change can seed fertile ground for policy transformation and implementation.

Join us to discuss how philanthropy can leverage public resources to ensure every California has the dignity of a home and people with lived expertise can contribute to effective policy decisions. The dignity and security of a home continue to elude more than 170,000 Californians on any given night. While we know that permanent housing is the answer to homelessness, the ability for us to connect a person to housing continues to face persistent challenges. Yet at the same time, public investments in the homeless response system, including Measure H and Prop HHH, have been fundamental to successfully housing nearly 85,000 over the last five years in Los Angeles. More local, state, and federal resources are on the way to help build trust with unhoused people so that they can access safe, affordable, and dignified living conditions. What lessons have we learned as we continue to help shape the future of just housing? What infrastructure is needed to implement equitable housing policies in our region successfully? What are the short-term and long-term strategies to help all Californians realize the Golden State’s promise?

As a result of the relentless organizing efforts of movement leaders, it is no longer viable to ignore conversations about race when designing policies. The values of racial justice movements — freedom and liberation, repair and redress of historical harms, and material equity — are critical to reimagine our democratic institutions and electing leaders who represent communities. Join Felicia Wong and Karthick Ramakrishnan to discuss a new paradigm for justice and democracy that will transform and challenge racial capitalism, white supremacy, and patriarchal systems.

Featured in NBC’s World of Dance, Joe Brown’s Closing Performance is dedicated to those who have lost their lives to acts of violence driven by prejudice and bigotry. We honor those who fought and continue to fight for equality, progress, and unity. Stroll Groove will continue to reflect the times through our artistry, hoping to inspire this generation and beyond. At Stroll Groove, our mantra is, “We step because our ancestors marched.”