by Angela Glover Blackwell of PolicyLink
This equity atlas vividly demonstrates the power of data to tell the story of a changing region and what it needs to prosper in the future. Now you must use this data to drive action. Metro Atlanta must capitalize on its greatest asset—its rapidly growing, diverse population—to build a strong, equitable, sustainable economy. As the Atlas makes clear, almost all the growth in the region over the past decade has been driven by communities of color. Yet too many people in these communities are being left out and left behind. Longstanding inequities have resulted in significant gaps in education, employment, health, and wealth among the very populations that the region will depend on to be the workforce and business leaders of tomorrow. Closing these gaps is an economic imperative, for the region and the nation. Metro Atlanta, America’s seventh largest region, will effectively compete in the global marketplace only if all residents are fully able to participate in the economy and contribute to innovation. Policies and investments focus on connecting communities of color to jobs, transportation, housing, and quality education—in short, to all the opportunities and resources that make people, communities, regions, and the nation strong.
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