Economics

Greenlining Institute Examines “Racial Justice on the Frontlines”

Published

9 years ago

April 18, 2017

The Greenlining Institute brought its 24^th annual Economic Summit to the organization’s new hometown of Oakland April 14.

At a moment when communities of color are under attack nationwide, the summit – which brings together community leaders and grassroots organizers from California and around the U.S. — felt surprisingly like a celebration: a celebration of defiance, resistance and persistence in the face of threats to our communities.

“We have the power to write the next chapter in history,” Greenlining Institute President Orson Aguilar said in his remarks at the summit’s opening session. “We can ensure California is a model democracy. We have the power and passion to write the next chapter of this nation.”

A powerful poem by Chinaka Hodge set up the opening discussion of the day’s theme, “Racial Justice on the Frontlines.

Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza moderated, noting that “while our communities have always been fighting … this is a new moment” with unique challenges.

“Our strategies also have to change,” she said.

Much of the discussion that followed emphasized grassroots strategies and one-on-one communication. Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said, “If all of the people in this room talk to 5, 10, 20 people, that’s how you build power.”

“We are vulnerable because of the color of our skin,” added United We Dream co-founder Cristina Jiménez. “My brother was stopped and frisked at the age of 11. … White supremacy has been unleashed across the nation.”

Breakout sessions focused the ongoing fight to preserve healthcare as President Trump and Congress continue to attack the Affordable Care Act, innovative strategies to build wealth in communities of color, and the role of race and ethnicity in the climate justice movement.

The most crowded session – which included Post Publisher Paul Cobb – looked at Uber’s impending arrival in Oakland and what the company’s ever-changing plans might mean for a diverse city struggling with gentrification and displacement.

Each year, Greenlining gives awards to leaders who are working on behalf of communities of color. This year’s Torchbearer Award – honoring a graduate of Greenlining’s Leadership Academy – went to San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner Matt Haney. Haney – who last year raised the question of renaming San Francisco schools that are named after slaveholders – pointedly cited textbooks that treat U.S. history as nothing but “a series of powerful white men” as a classic example of “rewriting history” to exclude people of color.

Disruptive Advocate Awards – given to leaders showing exceptional leadership and courage – went to Kim Carter, executive director of Time for Change; Dr. David C. Lizárraga, chairman of the TELACU Foundation; Sammy Nunez, executive director of Fathers and Families of San Joaquin; and Jane Kim, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and also a Greenlining Leadership Academy alum.

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Activism

At the event, 16 entities signed the EIP pledge, vowing to take steps to increase public contracting opportunities in their spheres for small and historically underutilized businesses. The pledge signees included Hub International, the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Port of Oakland, Robert Graham of Webcor Builders, Holder Construction, the Weitz Company, Sky Blue Builders, Hornblower, Swinerton, Luster National, Talson Solutions, Center for Community Wealth Building, and the Construction Contractors Alliance.

Published

1 week ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, was one of the speakers at the event. Photo by Shellee Fisher Photography and Design.

By Calvin Naito, Special to The Post

On June 4, a national nonprofit named the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) – which aims to increase public construction contracting opportunities for small and historically underutilized businesses – held a day-long event in downtown San Francisco to rally supporters and build momentum to its cause.

It was attended by more than 100 individuals from public agencies, private firms, and other organizations committed to increasing contracting opportunities with governmental agencies, thereby creating more competition and lowering public costs.

The EIP event was held the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in conjunction with BuildIT, which aims to increase contracting opportunities for LGBT-owned businesses.

At the event, 16 entities signed the EIP pledge, vowing to take steps to increase public contracting opportunities in their spheres for small and historically underutilized businesses.

The pledge signees included Hub International, the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Port of Oakland, Robert Graham of Webcor Builders, Holder Construction, the Weitz Company, Sky Blue Builders, Hornblower, Swinerton, Luster National, Talson Solutions, Center for Community Wealth Building, and the Construction Contractors Alliance.

Following the workshop, BuildIT hosted a VIP evening reception honoring EIP, whose principals – Phil Washington, John Procari, and Rick Jacobs – accepted the award.

The event also set in motion the coalition’s efforts to implement recommendations from EIP’s “Procurement for Prosperity: A Playbook.”

The Playbook is a practical guide for public agency leaders and procurement and contracting practitioners to grow the capacity of small and first-time contractors, strengthen competition, and deliver better value for taxpayers.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), a long-time EIP supporter, also told attendees, “This is about commitment. This has been a life’s work. This is a tailwind moment.”

The event’s presenting sponsor was Hub International, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the nation, which was joined by partners Travelers Insurance and the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

After the pledge-signing ceremony, attendees participated in a workshop in which they examined the policies, practices, and programs needed to meet EIP goals, learned from practitioners, and identified next steps toward utilizing the Playbook.

Ingrid Meriwether, formerly of Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services (MWIS) and current president of Hub International’s Aligned Risk Management, MWIS, described the hard-fought lessons she and her MWIS team have learned over the last three decades administering contractor development programs (CDPs) for the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, City of Los Angeles, LA Metro, and other municipalities.

The CDPs help small and local construction firms win public infrastructure contracts with these government agencies. The program provides bonding assistance, contract financing, technical support, training, and other services to underrepresented businesses funded by public agencies who seek greater contracting participation with these firms.

Merriwether said programs like these “break down systemic barriers, create greater fairness, and save taxpayers money by enabling more competition. The contractor development programs have, cumulatively, over two decades, helped contractors access over $1 billion in bonding, supporting over $380 million in awarded contracts, and maintaining a loss ratio 250 times lower than the industry average – while saving participating municipalities more than $27 million in contracting costs as a result of enabling more competition.”

Rick Jacobs, EIP co-founder and co-chair urged attendees make plans to meet again in the near future “to continue building on this work, share progress on organizational commitments, and discuss how we can collectively advance the goals of the EIP pledge.”

For more information on the EIP and to access a copy of the Playbook, go online to https://equityininfrastructure.org/

Calvin Naito is communications manager for Equity in Infrastructure Project.