$node.PillImageNode.Description

Mayors LaToya Cantrell, Eric Johnson, and Nan Whaley

Published on11 JUN 2020
Topic:
COVID-19 Making Progress Towards Racial Equity

In this episode of Talks at GS, mayors Eric Johnson (Dallas, TX), Nan Whaley (Dayton, OH), and LaToya Cantrell (New Orleans, LA) discuss how they are thinking about the way forward for their communities post-pandemic and on issues of racial equality.

Mayor Cantrell on preparing communities for the way forward: “So clearly we know we need to remain focused on our gap in terms of our people, meeting them where they are and providing them with the tools and resources so that they can come out of this better than they were before. And also we're preparing our communities to be more resilient so the next tragedy that comes… they can sustain whatever… comes their way.”

Mayor Whaley on communities nationwide adapting to change: “I think there's a challenge in this whole conversation both with COVID and with the protests and the opportunity for us to really work on systemic racism… Change is happening so very quickly that it's very difficult for the human mind to keep up with the pace of change. And so I think we're seeing a lot of that and that is uncomfortable for folks on how fast it is happening, but at the same time, I think being a mayor at this time definitely challenges your leadership skills, but it gives great opportunity to really work to lead your community in a way you really want to see it too. So while we're going through this, I think there's great opportunity on the other side.”

Mayor Johnson on Dallas’s future recovery: “One of the main things I'm focusing on is our economic recovery and making sure that Dallas is prepared to come out of this better than we went into it in time. We know that won't happen right away… But, by and large, we are going to do everything we can to try to get our small businesses, which are going to be at the core of this recovery, up and running as soon as possible.”
 

This episode was filmed as part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Voices Virtual Capitol Hill Week on June 11, 2020.

 

 

Explore More Insights