I’ve been getting great feedback on my new keynote “The Future of Equity”. I thought the key takeaways might be useful for your work.
Entering time of exponential change
We are living in a time of exponential change. Driven by technological changes, the pace of change is faster than we have every experienced as humans and the human brain is not made for this pace of change. This causes instability in our organizations and in the communities we care about.
Nazis Really Hate Robots
I believe that the recent rise of Nazism is tied to job losses created by Artificial Intelligence and robots. Because we don’t talk about this fundamental change to our economy and how quickly it is happening, people have an old story that “immigrants and people of color are taking our jobs” that is creating this rise in hate.
Skills for the Future
Our schools have been built for assembly line jobs. Follow directions, do your part and you will be successful. Those are not the skillsets that we need now. When I talk to educational futurists about what skillsets are needed moving forward it is ability to partner with technology, remixing (two technologies together to create something new), and cultural flexibility as we become a more global economy. Kids of color are skilled in many of these areas.
New Urgency on Climate Change
Since just 100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, an increased foundation focus will be on shareholder advocacy to hold corporations accountable for their impact on the climate, rather than just focusing on the recycling and driving habits of individual citizens. Nonprofits will also focus more efforts on climate change, as low-income communities will bear the brunt of climate change impacts. In California, celebrities and insurance companies hired private firefighters to protect expensive properties. America already has climate change refugees- Native American communities in Alaska and New Orleans that have had to move because of climate change impacts.
Foundations Find their Voice
Just as television images of civil rights protesters being viciously beaten galvanized disengaged northern Whites to act, social media stories and videos of the children of asylum seekers at the southern border being separated from their parents and abused or dying while in the custody of the United States government will push foundations to speak out against separations. Foundations like the ones that have been a part of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR) for a number of years will provide mentorship and support to funders that are just beginning to engage.
As the pace of change accelerates, it is even more critical that social sector organizations understand and influence key equity trends. Becoming a future focused leader is no longer a luxury but a necessity.