The two-day workshop is entitled Understanding the Growing Divide. It’s being hosted the Winston-Salem nonprofit, Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods.
Steve Schnapp, Guest Speaker from United for a Fair Economy will lead the sessions. Schnapp said he will look closely at racial and economic inequality and how it relates to a neighborhood’s overall economic insecurity.
“In fact, we have some dramatic data to present and talk about that shows how median wealth has fallen across the board, especially among families of color and so these are the things that we will be talking about. We are trying to get beneath the surface of this data and talk about why this is going on,” said Schnapp.
Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods provides grants and training to Winston-Salem residents launching projects that meet a current need in their communities and are geared to improve that area’s physical and financial environment.
Dee Washington, the organization’s program director said the economic challenges are as diverse as the city’s population.
“We have some neighborhoods on the South side of town that are dealing with an explosion of economic development that is happening in their area. They are concerned about zoning and how things like that will change and impact their community, and although folks see that growth or as a positive thing, there are some challenges there with where do all of those jobs go, said Washington.
Washington added, “Whether someone is going to build a factory, or build a new complex, or be part of a shopping strip, as jobs develop there are going to have to be places for jobs. And then, you have some neighborhoods on the other side that say we don’t have any jobs at all. They are dealing with a lot of foreclosures in their neighborhoods. They are dealing with blighted property as part of the foreclosures and it goes back to that basic premise of see a need meet a need for a community. And then all of the sudden, it turns into a micro enterprise . The creativity of the communities on the grass roots level really is what is going to save the economy and I think a lot of people don’t recognize that,”
The workshops will be held at United Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church on Metropolitan Drive.
Friday’s session runs from 5:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. people will learn how to be economic educators.
Both workshops are open to the public and there is a registration fee.
