Social Impact in the Post-2020 Era

Please join Wagner's Black Student Association (BSA) for this thought-provoking Black History Month panel. We will explore how social impact work has or has not changed after the racial reckoning in 2020 in the wake of George Floyd's state-sanctioned death. A June 2020 New York Times poll showed that opinions on racial justice and police brutality shifted dramatically in the immediate aftermath of Floyd's death as Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the country. 76 percent of Americans said that racial and ethnic discrimination was a big problem, a 26-point increase from 2015, the year Freddie Gray died in police custody in Baltimore. Additionally, businesses and institutions across industries issued statements of support for the Black Lives Matter movement and commitments to eradicating the scourge of racism. 

We will engage Black industry professionals and Wagner alumni to discuss whether real progress has been made. Have there been meaningful shifts in the ways that companies engage with Black communities and other communities of color? Has their willingness to acknowledge the harm that racism has caused in these communities translated into actions to undo this harm? 

Panelists will include

• Alexis King Wilson - Senior Manager, Social Impact, Spotify 
• Rashawn Davis - Associate Director, Racial Justice Fund, Change.org
• Tasia Hawkins - Program Lead, Social Impact, DoorDash
• Tai Hutchinson - Platform Director, AlleyCorp

We look forward to this engaging conversation and hope to see you there!