Patrick King believes that sustainability is directly tied to issues of inequity. He’s the sustainability education manager with Urban Green Lab, and he’s working to implement a new Environmental Justice Initiative which will focus on helping distressed communities improve their health and lives. In this episode, Patrick explains why Nashville’s Black and Brown communities are disproportionately affected by environmental problems, and also why they have the most to gain from sustainability efforts.

Brynn Plummer wants Nashville to recognize the enormous potential she sees in its entrepreneurs of color. As Vice President of Inclusion and Community Relations at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Brynn works to equip entrepreneurs with resources while also trying to make entrepreneurship more equitable. In this episode, she explains how the EC has shifted its efforts to focus more on equity and inclusion and offers insight into the current landscape of entrepreneurship in Nashville

John Baldwin understands that when healthcare teams are more diverse, they’re better equipped to serve patients. John is the chief operating officer of hospitals and clinics for Cancer Treatment Centers of America Atlanta, and in this episode, he explains how healthcare organizations can create more trustful relationships with communities of color. He also discusses the implications of healthcare inequity in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine rollout.

Ebonee Davis Ifeobu has played a key role in helping Bridgestone create greater equity, as the executive director of talent, culture and diversity. In this episode, she explains how Bridgestone has responded to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans in 2020. She also argues that it’s important for corporations to focus on building lasting change rather than hurrying to respond to a problem, and she explains why equity should play a major part in that response.

In our first episode of Speak Up for Equity, a new podcast from the Tennessee Diversity Consortium, Ashford Hughes shares his efforts to create a more equitable environment for students as Executive Officer for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Metro Nashville Public Schools. He also explains how understanding Nashville’s history can help us create a roadmap for addressing inequity today.

Equity is about eliminating difference-based (race, gender, etc.) outcome gaps so that these differences do not predict one's success. Join Tennessee Diversity Consortium Executive Director, Robert Wilson, as we elevate model practices for improving equity within Middle TN.