E PLURIBUS UNUM RELEASES “BIG IDEAS FOR RACIAL EQUITY” A GUIDE FOR STATE AND LOCAL LEADERS

NEW ORLEANS (December 8, 2021) — Today, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) released “Big Ideas for Racial Equity”, a roadmap for state and local leaders looking to address racial and economic inequity in our nation. The guide is a policy analysis tool of “big ideas” that have mostly been discussed at the federal level, along with providing resources and case studies for learning how to enact versions of the policy at the state or local level.

“We must act boldly and decisively in order to address the ills of our nation’s past and create a more equitable future for generations to come,” said Donnie Charleston, EPU Director of Policy and Advocacy. “The Big Ideas for Racial Equity is a guidebook for local leaders looking to tackle America’s racial equity challenge.”

Thirteen policy issues were assessed for their potential to meet the challenges we are facing, with a focus on how national policies can be applied in a local context. Each issue was evaluated based on the demonstrated ability to advance racial equity, the economic return on investment, research base, and ease of state and local implementation. The key policy proposals are as follows:

  • Early childhood investments through trust accounts
  • Education finance reform
  • Ending the war on drugs
  • Environmental justice
  • Free college
  • Funding minority entrepreneurship
  • Guaranteed jobs
  • Homeownership/Homestead act
  • Immigration reform
  • Universal health coverage
  • Universal income
  • Voting rights expansion
  • Workforce development

Click here to read the full “Big Ideas for Racial Equity.”

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About E Pluribus Unum
Founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2018, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to build a more just, equitable, and inclusive South, uprooting the barriers that have long divided the region by race and class. Incubated at Emerson Collective, EPU is focused on changing the divisive narratives that perpetuate systemic and interpersonal racism, cultivating and empowering courageous leaders who are advancing racial equity, and championing transformative policy change. Learn more at www.unumfund.org