Dear ULI Members and Friends:

We are witnessing an awakening in our community. Following the senseless killing of George Floyd, our communities are in turmoil, serving as a stark reminder that systemic and institutional racism in America continues to perpetuate racial, social, and economic inequality for black people and people of color in our society.

To our members who are suffering, we write to say we are here for you. For everyone, we invite you to join us now and over the years, to do our part in addressing racial inequities throughout our region and our industry. There are no easy answers, but the demonstrations illustrate that our past approaches are not working and there is much work to be done.

ULI Charlotte’s commitment to you and the community is to take actions that are deliberate and support change:

• Structural Change: Appoint a senior leader to the ULI Charlotte Management Committee to lead a team responsible for racial equity, diversity and inclusion in all our work. Expand the racial diversity of members by understanding needs and creating a welcome and inclusive organization that is more representative of our community.
• Commit to Self-Examination: Require all District Council leaders to attend unconscious bias / diversity & inclusion / racial equity training. This will be expanded to training for our members and their firms that would like to embrace self-examination with us.
• Create Actions to Achieve Systemic Change: Expand the training and conversations on racial equity through community and member conversations. Strengthen outreach to communities of color, showcase community initiatives that incorporate and encourage inclusivity and strive to reduce barriers of entry to the industry.

In Charlotte, we have voices that equally love where we live and now, as leaders in real estate and land use, we have a responsibility and commitment to love our community through these challenging times. We want to create a better future that enables everyone to live-out the promise of being a part of a thriving community.

With ULI Charlotte’s unique ability to convene industry leaders around sharing best practices and developing strategies to guide us through times of uncertainty and change, we look forward to coming together, whether in-person or virtually, to have these conversations, learn from each other and hear from new voices, and be a part of the solutions that deliver meaningful change. Please join us in creating an inclusive organization and community.

Warm regards,