Boost Leadership Series Continues with Community Reinvestment Discussion

The Boost Leadership Series continues! Last Saturday, April 10th, Boost welcomed guest speakers Dr. Anima Adjepong, Cecily King, and Chari Chester Anderson for a discussion on Community Reinvestment. Given the increased discussion of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and reinvestment in Black communities, we found this conversation extremely relevant. 

Interestingly, all the panelists had graduated during the 2008 economic recession. Amid the competitive job market, two of the panelists decided to focus on philanthropic work, while Cecily King opted for graduate school. Industrial engineer turned real estate developer, King is the founder of Kipling Development and an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University. She spent several years on development projects in the public and private sectors. While working in Detroit, she had the opportunity to rebuild physical infrastructure in a majority Black city.

When asked about corporate social responsibility, King explained, “we're almost giving [corporations] a hand clap for doing good by people.” She added that a corporation must be conscious of how it treats people internally. Any corporation should be good to its employees, as doing so is the first step to doing good in the community.

Adjepong agreed. As a sociologist and independent consultant, Adejepong discussed the power communities can yield when they form unions or collectively shame corporations. Adjepong also highlighted the influence external consultants can have when advising companies, “I really like long term engagement because it's very easy to just have someone come in and tell [corporations] things that feel good, because then [they] feel like [they’re] doing something. Then, [consultants] leave and [corporations] are not going to do anything.”

Likewise, Chester Anderson emphasized the impact outsiders can make in a company. Chester Anderson serves as the Development Officer at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. As an outsider, she remarked, you can be in rooms and have your voice heard in ways that employees cannot. She added, “if an employer does not think that you think like them, then you won't be in that space. That's why entrepreneurship is so important because you can get in spaces that an employee cannot speak to.” 

In the closing remarks, Chester Anderson advised students interested in philanthropy to find gaps which they can meaningfully fill by employing their skillsets. Similarly, King shared that those who want a seat at the table can identify a problem and hypothesize creative solutions that meet the bottom line. Dr. Adjepong called on students to explore their interests and passions in college, and take advantage of the space and time. “The future will come and you will be there,” Adjepong concluded. 

As discussions of community reinvestment continue, it is important to consider the capitalistic motivations of corporations, the power of unified employees, and the influence of independent advisors. We found these honest and transparent conversations very valuable, and we thank our panelists for their insightful comments.