Report finds poor K-12 outcomes, high waiver diploma usage, and declining college enrollment among the key factors in education and workforce opportunity gaps. INDIANAPOLIS (November 9, 2021) — Black and Hispanic residents in Indiana and Marion County experience significant gaps in education outcomes and employment opportunities compared to white residents, a new analysis shows. Disparities are pronounced in K-12 education and continue through postsecondary education and the workforce, hindering individuals’ ability to prosper, businesses’ ability to thrive, and the vitality of the city and state. The report, released today by Business Equity for Indy’s (BEI) Learning and Talent Opportunities Taskforce, examines public data from the U.S. Census, Indiana Management Performance Hub and other state agencies. The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation and Ascend Indiana produced the analysis. In Marion County, of the 3,077 Black students who graduated high school in the [...]

INDIANAPOLIS – Business Equity for Indy (BEI), a joint venture of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and the Indy Chamber, in collaboration with the Indianapolis Urban League, today hosted a virtual event to highlight the corporate community’s progress in activities and programs to improve racial equity and economic opportunity across Central Indiana. “Business Equity for Indy (BEI) was formed last summer during a period of intense racial tension across our nation following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Over the past year, BEI member companies have come together to outline meaningful actions to advance racial equity across Central Indiana,” said Jeffrey Harrison, BEI Chair and President & CEO of Citizens Energy Group. The event also commemorated one year of the Indy Racial Equity Pledge, a commitment by corporate and civic organizations to advance racial equity in Indianapolis and neighboring [...]

  Over the past year, the global pandemic has challenged us in ways that we did not think possible. For Black people and other communities of color, those challenges have been heightened by preexisting racial disparities and inequities. For others, these compounding issues have created a call for meaningful action and immediate progress toward racial equity. Businesses are stepping up with a strengthened commitment to make concrete changes to the way they do business in an effort to advance racial equity around our region. The Business Equity for Indy (BEI) initiative, a joint venture between the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and the Indy Chamber in collaboration with the Indianapolis Urban League, was formed in response to these calls for action. The initiative is now looking to brand its work and over the past several months has conducted the "Beyond [...]

INDIANAPOLIS – A collection of leaders from the corporate and non-profit communities in Central Indiana have formed the Business Equity for Indy Committee. The committee, a joint venture of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and Indy Chamber, with support from the Indianapolis Urban League, is comprised of a group of Indianapolis-based corporate leaders committed to advancing a fairer and more inclusive future for the city’s Black population and other peoples of color. Informed by community input, the Business Equity for Indy Committee will develop a set of proposed business actions and engagements to address inequities in business opportunities for communities of color. “We are seeing a strong group of corporate leaders in Central Indiana come forward with a shared passion and determination to move the needle on racial inequity,” said David Johnson, president and CEO of CICP. “It is [...]