The Insight Center for Community Economic Development’s mission is to help people and communities become and remain economically secure. While a small nonprofit, they serve national research, consulting and legal organizations dedicated to building economic health and opportunity in vulnerable communities.
“Our work is informed by ground level work and partnerships in key regions and localities, including the Seattle/Pacific Northwest region, the greater Chicago/Midwest region, the Deep South (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi) and northern California,” says Henry A. J. Ramos, president. “For 2015, our plans are both exciting and ambitious.”
Last year, Insight Center focused on the issues of African American males and will continue to do so.
“Our emphasis on the special needs and condition of African American males has been significant and growing in recent years. This work involves both general advocacy on behalf of young men of color, and especially young African American males. Also, targeted efforts to secure private employer agreements to train and place such young men in well paying, growth sector jobs,” Ramos explains.
According to Ramos, the reach and impact of the organization is due to many factors, including. “Our long track record of nearly 50 years of successful work in community economic development and law; a strong team of seasoned staff professionals; a carefully vetted national stable of leading field consultants; a command of leading social investment models and approaches from across the country; an affirmative, problem solving orientation; strong and proven partners and allies on the ground and across the country; a loyal and diverse array of sponsors and donors; collaborative service orientation to the field and effective communication capacities.”
Having such a great track record, Ramos and his team’s “ambitious” and “exciting” 2015 plans include new regional reinvestment models intended to support low-income populations and especially vulnerable worker groups, like boys and men of color. They will also promote new approaches to human resource investment, advocacy and policy formation on behalf of economically vulnerable Americans, and build the capacity and public voice of experts of color on economic policy issues through media exposure and campaigns. In addition, they will co-host an annual policy summit with the Center for Global Policy Solutions that highlights economic prosperity opportunities for low-income Americans of color in Washington, D.C.; and co-produce a series of American Public Television Network Financial Education Broadcasts with Kevin Boston of the PBS “Moneywise” series.
